A household appliance, comprising:
- a structural element defining an access opening for accessing a washing tank or chamber;
- a door operationally associated with the access opening and designed to take up an open position, in which it allows access to the washing tank or chamber, and a closed position in which it is locked against the structural element;
- a door locking device including a support body secured to the door of the household appliance, a lug secured to the structural element of the household appliance in a position facing, in use, the support body, and a latch device borne by the support body and configured to interact, in use, with the lug;
- wherein the latch device comprises:
- i) a blocking tooth borne by the support body and restrained to the support body such that the blocking tooth can rotate relative to the support body about a first axis and the first axis can move in translation relative to the support body, the blocking tooth comprising a first end configured to be coupled with a transversal element of the lug so as to lock the door against the structural element of the household appliance;
- ii) a stem borne by the support body sliding along an axis of symmetry of the stem and interacting with a second end of the blocking tooth, opposite to the first end;
- iii) a first cam profile formed on the second end of the blocking tooth and a second cam profile on a head of the stem facing towards the blocking tooth;
- iv) a compression spring operationally associated with the stem and designed to push the second cam profile into direct contact with the first cam profile;
- v) a framed tilting element hinged to the support body such that it can rotate relative to the latter about a second axis parallel to the first axis;
- the tilting element being designed to interact with the transversal element of the lug independently of the blocking tooth;
- vi) the first and second cam profiles being designed to form, together with the blocking tooth, the support body, the stem and the compression spring, a bistable mechanism that can cause the blocking tooth to selectively take up a receiving position, in which a recess made in the first end of the blocking tooth is oriented parallel to respective longitudinal longerons of the lug, perpendicular to the transversal element of the lug, so as to receive the transversal element of the lug, and a locking position, in which the recess is orientated transversely to the longerons of the lug;
- and
- vii) wherein the stem is inserted axially through a shoulder ring hinged to the support body by containment holes in such a way that the shoulder ring rotates relative to the support body about a fourth axis passing through a center of the containment holes, parallel to the first axis and generally coaxial with the second axis;
- the compression spring being inserted packed between the head of the stem and the shoulder ring;
- wherein the door locking device has the support body rigidly secured to the door and the lug rigidly secured to the structural element;
- the support body having a lateral seat housing a microswitch;
- and the framed tilting element being configured to interact with the microswitch when the transversal element of the lug engages in the recess of the blocking tooth.