Patent ID: 8176892

Claim:
An internal-combustion engine, the engine comprising: an engine housing defining a combustion chamber, said engine housing having a first housing part and a second housing part; a first piston and a second piston disposed within said combustion chamber to travel along paths between upper dead center positions and lower dead center positions, wherein said paths of travel are curved; a first crankshaft coupled to the first piston; and a second crankshaft coupled to the second piston, wherein said first housing part and said second housing part delimit portions of said combustion chamber and abut each other to define a parting plane, portions of said combustion chamber being further delimited by said first piston at a first end of said combustion chamber and by said second piston at a second end of said combustion chamber, said second end being disposed opposite said first end, said parting plane extending through said pistons, and the first and second crankshafts are located outside a region defined by extension of the curved paths of travel perpendicular to the parting plane.