ANCIENT CHINESE MAZE LOCKS

There are many types of ancient Chinese locks that were designed using thin pieces of barbed springs in the locks. The geometric relativity and the elasticity effect between the key and the barbed springs were the main mechanisms for locking and opening. For some special locks, it is very difficult to insert the key-head into the keyhole. In the operation, the key-head must contact the keyhole in the right position and the right orientation in order to enter the keyhole. Discovering how to insert the key-head is similar to steering a maze, so such locks are named “maze locks” or “fixed-orientation locks”. This paper introduces the structures of maze locks, which were widely used in ancient China. The historical development of ancient Chinese locks is briefly introduced first. Then, the basic characteristics of the barbed-springs lock are presented. Finally, three examples are provided to illustrate the opening processes of maze locks.