Patent ID: 7240646

Claim:
A power plant comprising: a crankshaft connected to a piston, the piston mounted for reciprocating motion in a cylinder via a connecting rod; an internal combustion engine including a variable compression ratio system which permits changing of a position of an axis of rotation of the crankshaft; and a transmission including an input shaft connected to the crankshaft, wherein the power plant is configured such that the axis of rotation of the crankshaft and an axis of rotation of the input shaft are mutually disposed in parallel, wherein the variable compression ratio system includes a crankshaft holder which rotatably supports the crankshaft and which is swingably supported on the input shaft, and a drive system which swings the crankshaft holder and is connected to the crankshaft holder at a connecting portion, the connecting portion and the axis of rotation of the input shaft being disposed at one side of a plane, the plane containing the axis of rotation of the crankshaft and lying orthogonal to an axis of the cylinder, and the piston being disposed at an opposed side of the plane relative to the connecting portion and the axis of rotation of the input shaft.