BLOCKING DEVICE FOR THE DOOR OF AN ELECTRIC HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE, IN PARTICULAR THE DOOR OF A WASHING MACHINE

摘要

Blocking device (1) comprising a body that can be fixed to a frame of the electric household appliance, laterally to a door to be blocked, a striker in the form of a striking plate (8) held sliding by the body perpendicular to the door and suited to cooperate in use with a notch (9) of the door, a pawl (10) for blocking the sliding of the striking plate, and control means (11) for selectively moving the pawl between an extracted position and a retracted position in/from a corresponding through perforation (13) in the striking plate; wherein said control means comprise an actuator (20) including an electrically conductive resistive wire (21) made of a shape memory alloy and able to vary its own length as an effect of its heating, means (22) for supplying controlled electric power to the resistive wire suited to determine its controlled variation in temperature by joule effect; and cam means (31) activated by said actuator (20) and acting on a bistable elastic device (40) directly controlling the position of said pawl (10).