The two most common types of locks in a home are simple key locks in a doorknob and deadbolt locks.
How does a lock on a door work.
This method should work on most pin and tumbler locks that people normally use.
But first let s see how the car keeps all its signals straight.
The key to match the particular lock lifts the pins to the correct height to allow the latch the part that protrudes into the door frame to be pulled back against the spring allowing the door to open.
Key locks contain a small cylinder that runs down the middle of the doorknob and into the door.
In this edition of howstuffworks we ll learn just what s inside your door that ma kes it unlock we ll take apart the actuator that does the work and then we ll learn how the lock can be forced open.
Once the key is removed the spring will automatically push the latch back out.
When the door is unlocked a part called a tang is resting fully inside of the cylinder.
Door knobs are usually are equipped with a button on the inside which when pressed will trigger the spring and lock the door.
One part is fitted to the frame the static part of the door and is essentially a sturdy metal reinforcement for a hole cut into the door itself to prevent the locked door from being opened with brute force.
To minimize the need to use a key to leave your home these locks are designed so you can turn the doorknobs to unlock the door from the inside.
You will require one wrench to apply tension to the lock cylinder and one long pick to actually get the pins of the lock to move.
Most mechanical locks are fitted to things like doors and cupboards and have two physically separate parts.
However a key is still required to open the door from the outside.
But in more complicated systems that have several ways to lock and unlock the doors the body controller decides when to do the unlocking.
By a signal from a control center in some cars that have power door locks the lock unlock switch actually sends power to the actuators that unlock the door.
How do locks work.