Tangential internal combustion engine

Abstract

The invention relates to an internal combustion engine which is characterized in that it comprises two longitudinally arcuate cylinders 12, 13, in each of which a piston 3, 4 is located movably from a position at a minimum distance from the cylinder head Pmin to a position at a maximum distance from the cylinder head Pmax, it also comprises one or two toothed connecting rod(s) 17, which is / are formed arcuately in their longitudinal direction and has / have a toothing 18, on the sides of the pistons 3, 4 that are facing away from the combustion chamber 1, 2, and it further comprises two freewheels 26, 27 and a shaft 16, wherein the cylinders 12, 13 are arranged such that the axis of the shaft 16 represents the centre of the circle forming the basis for the arc shape of the cylinders 12, 13 and of the toothed connecting rod(s) 17, the toothed connecting rod(s) 17 is / are coupled by way of their toothing 18 to the outer side of at least one of the freewheels, the inner sides 19 of the freewheels are each connected to the shaft 16 such that they lock or run freely in the same direction, the cylinders 12, 13 and the pistons 3, 4 are also arranged such that the movement of the piston 3 in the first cylinder 12, produced by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 1 of the first cylinder 12, and the movement of the piston 4 in the second cylinder 13, produced by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 2 of the second cylinder 13, take place in opposite directions, the outer sides of the freewheels 26, 27 are coupled to one another such that they move in opposite directions, and wherein the coupling of the freewheels 26, 27 and the toothed connecting rod(s) 17 takes place such that the shaft 16 is made to rotate continuously, also relates to a method for operating such an internal combustion engine and further relates to the use of such an internal combustion engine for driving a motor vehicle, aircraft or ship.

Description

[0001] TANGENTIAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

[0002] The present invention is in the field of engines and relates in particular to a novel internal combustion engine.

[0003] When developing internal combustion engines, one of the main objectives is to use the energy obtained from the fuel used as effectively as possible, i.e. to achieve the highest possible efficiency in order to save fuel.

[0004] With modern engines, great care is also taken to ensure that they have both the highest possible torque at low speeds and the most constant torque possible at different speeds.

[0005] Reciprocating piston engines are known in the art. The work performed by the expansion of the gases generated by fuel combustion in a cylinder is transmitted to a piston and then to a crankshaft via a connecting rod. The connecting rod has a joint connection to both the piston and the crankshaft (crank drive). This converts the oscillating motion of the piston into a rotary motion, i.e., generates torque.

[0006] A disadvantage of the power transmission in these conventional reciprocating piston engines is that the crank drive creates mechanical dead points towards which the transmitted power decreases in a sinusoidal curve.

[0007] US Pat. No. 4,127,036 discloses an internal combustion engine comprising at least one annular cylinder and a matching annular piston, the cylinders and pistons being configured for rotation about a central crankshaft. The rotation of the piston and cylinder in a first direction is transmitted to the shaft by means of feed means that prevent rotation in the opposite direction.

[0008] US Pat. No. 5,025,756 discloses an internal combustion engine having a set of annular 360-degree cylinders, each containing two sets of double-headed pistons. The piston sets move back and forth within the cylinder by approximately 45 degrees between two combustion ports spaced 180 degrees apart. The reciprocating motion of the piston sets is converted into rotary motion via four ratchet and pawl mechanisms connected to circular gear sets. US Pat. No. 1,352,127 discloses an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders arranged in a circle, their axes aligned circumferentially, their pistons connected to an oscillating element, causing them to rotate in unison, and the oscillating element being connected to a rotor by a suitable ratchet mechanism.

[0009] The present invention aims to further increase the efficiency of conventional internal combustion engines in order to enable more fuel-efficient operation.

[0010] The present invention therefore provides an internal combustion engine, characterized in that it comprises two cylinders 12, 13 which are circularly arcuate in their longitudinal direction, in each of which a piston 3, 4 is arranged so as to be movable from a position with a minimum distance from the cylinder head Pmin to a position with a maximum distance from the cylinder head Pmax, one or two toothed push rods 17 which are circularly arcuate in their longitudinal direction and have a toothing 18, on the sides of the pistons 3, 4 facing away from the combustion chamber 1, 2, and two freewheels 26, 27 as well as a shaft 16, wherein the cylinders 12, 13 are arranged such that the axis of the shaft 16 represents the center of the circle underlying the circular arc shape of the cylinders 12, 13 and the toothed push rod(s) 17, the toothed push rod(s) 17 are connected to the outside of at least one of the freewheels is / are coupled via its toothing 18,the inner sides 19 of the freewheels are each connected to the shaft 16 in such a way that they lock or freewheel in the same direction, the cylinders 12, 13 and the pistons 3, 4 are further arranged such that the movement of the piston 3 in the first cylinder 12 generated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 1 of the first cylinder 12 and the movement of the piston 4 in the second cylinder 13 generated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 2 of the second cylinder 13 occur in opposite directions, the outer sides of the freewheels 26, 27 are coupled to one another in such a way that they execute an opposite movement, and wherein the coupling of the freewheels 26, 27 and the toothed push rod(s) 17 occurs such that the shaft 16 is set into a continuous rotational movement. The present invention is based, among other things, on the findingthat, through a special shape of the cylinders, the piston thrust movement generated therein can be directly converted into torque, and thus the transmitted force is always transmitted tangentially, i.e., at a sine angle of 90°, to a shaft. This is achieved in a particularly advantageous manner in the internal combustion engine of the present invention by coupling the movement of a toothed push rod, which in turn is connected to the pistons of the cylinders, with the outside of at least one of the freewheels, with this coupling preferably being achieved by a gear connection. The engine according to the invention thus "translates" in a particularly advantageous manner a circular back-and-forth movement of the pistons moving in the cylinders directly into a constant rotational movement of the shaft. Thus, no force needs to be redirected via various components, as is the case with conventional internal combustion engines. The engine accordingly delivers power without any delay,if requested.,

[0011] The internal combustion engine of the present invention has several further advantages. The design of the engine ensures that the tangential forces generated in the cylinders always act or are transmitted at the maximum possible sine angle of 90°, i.e. during the entire operating process. It therefore offers the advantages of achieving the highest possible torque even at low speeds, and also the most constant possible torque at different speeds. This enables the engine according to the invention to be more efficient than conventionally designed reciprocating piston engines and thus also to save fuel; the efficiency is approximately 30% higher than that of conventional engines. Furthermore, the engine does not require a crankshaft and therefore does not have the dead centers caused by the crank drive in conventional engines.

[0012] The combustion engine according to the invention can be of any size, from relatively small versions such as a motorcycle engine, to car, boat, and aircraft engines, to very large versions such as ship engines. Its compact design allows for space-saving installation options.

[0013] The operating principle of the engine according to the invention is similar to that of conventional internal combustion engines: As with all internal combustion engines, a fuel-air mixture is ignited and burned in a cylinder. To do this, an ignitable fuel-oxygen, usually fuel-air, mixture is introduced into the combustion chambers of the cylinders, compressed there, and then ignited near the piston position with the minimum distance to the cylinder head (Pmin). The resulting gases expand explosively, causing the piston to move toward the position with the maximum distance to the cylinder head (Pmax).

[0014] The pressure created by the development and temperature-related expansion of the combustion gases acts on the respective piston, which is thereby displaced and converts the chemical energy through fuel combustion into mechanical work.

[0015] “Counter-directional movement” means a movement in opposite directions carried out by two components at the same time.

[0016] The freewheels each have an outer and an inner side, which can be designed, for example, as an outer and inner ring, which can lock against each other (locking or driving mode) or run freely (freewheel mode).

[0017] The push rod is arranged or guided in the cylinder in such a way that it can move freely within the cylinder.

[0018] The movement of the piston from the position P max TO P min is supported by the coupling of the freewheels, which causes an opposing movement of the freewheels and thus of the push rods or the pistons connected to them.

[0019] As soon as the piston has exceeded the position Pmax, the direction of movement of the piston in the cylinder reverses, i.e. the piston moves in the direction P min.

[0020] The internal combustion engine according to the invention can have a toothed push rod which connects the two sides of the pistons movable in the two cylinders facing away from the combustion chamber or two toothed push rods which are each connected to one of the pistons with the side facing away from the combustion chamber.

[0021] The push rod(s) is / are toothed along its length, preferably along its entire length. The toothing is usually located on the inside (concavely curved).

[0022] The toothed push rod or the toothed push rods are coupled via their toothing to the outside of at least one of the freewheels in such a way that during the respective movement of the piston in the direction out of the cylinder (“forward movement”) caused by the combustion of the fuel-oxygen mixture in the cylinder, the freewheels transmit the movement to the shaft in such a way that the shaft is set into a continuous rotational movement in one direction.

[0023] This can be achieved, for example, in the embodiment of the combustion engine with only one push rod, such that the piston movement is transferred to the outer side of one of the freewheels. The circular cylinders are positioned opposite each other, and the pistons always move in opposite directions, i.e., when the first piston moves forward, the second moves backward, and vice versa.

[0024] For example, when the first piston moves forward, this circular arc-shaped movement is transmitted to the outside of the first freewheel. This freewheel is in locking mode in this direction, thus transmitting this partial rotational movement to the shaft. When the second piston moves forward in the opposite direction, the first freewheel is in freewheel mode, but the coupling of the freewheels transmits the partial rotation in the opposite direction to the second freewheel. This freewheel is in locking mode and thus transmits the rotational movement to the shaft in the same direction as the movement caused by the first piston, so that the shaft as a whole is set in continuous rotation.

[0025] In the embodiment of the internal combustion engine in which each cylinder or piston is assigned a separate push rod, the cylinders can, for example, be arranged so that when the fuel-oxygen mixture is burned, the pistons move in the same or opposite directions. In the first case, the movement of both pistons is transferred to one of the two freewheels, e.g., the first freewheel. In the second case, the movement of the first piston is transferred to the first freewheel, and the movement of the second piston is transferred to the second freewheel, resulting in a continuous rotational movement of the shaft.

[0026] The transmission of the rotational movement of the toothed push rod to the freewheel(s) can, for example, occur in such a way that the toothing of the push rod(s) engages directly with the toothing on the outer side of the freewheel(s). Preferably, the internal combustion engine according to the invention is configured such that the movement of the toothed push rod(s) is coupled via a gear connection to the toothing on the outer side of at least one of the freewheels.

[0027] This can be done in such a way that a gear engages with the teeth of the push rod(s), which in turn engages with the teeth on the outside of the freewheel(s).

[0028] It is preferred that the movements of the pistons 3, 4 in the cylinders 12, 13 are such that when the piston 3 of the first cylinder 12 is at the position with minimum distance to the cylinder head Pminl, the piston 4 in the second cylinder 13 is at the position with maximum distance to the cylinder head Pmax2.

[0029] Due to their circular shape, the longitudinal extent of the cylinders, the piston travel (stroke) and the travel of the push rod(s) can be expressed in angular degrees, where 360° is known to correspond to a full circle.

[0030] In one embodiment, the internal combustion engine according to the invention is configured such that the circle underlying the circular arc shape of the cylinders has a circumference that is larger than the outer circumference of the freewheels. In this embodiment, the circle underlying the circular arc shape of the push rod(s) of the cylinders also has a circumference that is larger than the outer circumference of the freewheels. Thus, with a circular arc movement of a push rod of, for example, 60° and transmission of the movement via a gear, a circular arc movement of the outer side of a freewheel of more than 60° can be generated.

[0031] Preferably, therefore, in the motor according to the invention, the ratio of the maximum possible circular arc movement(s) of the push rod(s) expressed in angular degrees and the maximum circular arc movement of the freewheels transmitted to the outside, expressed in angular degrees, is greater than 1, preferably greater than 1.1 and more preferably greater than 1.25, or even greater than 1.5.

[0032] Thus, in one embodiment of the motor according to the invention, a maximum circular arc-shaped movement of the freewheels of greater than 180° each can be generated.

[0033] The “maximum circular arc movement” refers to the maximum angle covered, measured in degrees, during a back and forth movement from one maximum position to another of a component, such as a piston or one side of a freewheel.

[0034] In one embodiment of the internal combustion engine, it is designed such that the circular arc-shaped longitudinal extent of one or both cylinders, relative to the circle underlying their circular arc shape, is 90° or more, preferably 120° or more, more preferably 160° or more, and more preferably 180° or more.

[0035] Furthermore, the internal combustion engine can be designed such that the circular arc-shaped path of the piston in one or both cylinders, relative to the circle underlying its circular arc shape, is 90° or more, preferably 120° or more, more preferably 160° or more, and even more preferably 180° or more.

[0036] This means that, for example, a maximum possible extension of the piston travel of 360° and even more than 360° can be achieved over a complete circle or a complete rotation of the shaft.

[0037] The internal combustion engine according to the invention is preferably designed so that the coupling of the movement of the outer sides of the freewheels is effected by a gear connection.

[0038] In one embodiment, the cylinders are arranged offset relative to a circle defined by the axis of the shaft with the inner ring as its center. In this embodiment, the cylinders are typically arranged such that planes defined by the longitudinal direction of the cylinders are parallel to each other. In this embodiment, two push rods are typically present, one of which is attached to the side of each piston facing away from the combustion chamber.

[0039] In the internal combustion engine according to the invention, there are usually at least one inlet and one exhaust valve as well as one spark plug per cylinder.

[0040] In one embodiment of the internal combustion engine, it comprises fastening points for fastening the cylinders.

[0041] Typically, the freewheel(s) is / are designed to include a complete inner ring and a complete outer ring.

[0042] Typically, the cylinder(s) and, accordingly, the piston(s) have a circular cross-section. Typically, the two cylinders are structurally identical, in particular, they typically have the same circular piston travel (stroke).

[0043] Preferably, the pistons, push rods and / or the freewheels associated with the first and second cylinders are also of identical construction.

[0044] More preferably, the opposing coupling of the movements of the outer sides of the freewheels is achieved by a gear connection. This can be achieved, for example, by a toothing in the form of a crown gear on the mutually facing circular disk-shaped side surfaces of the outer sides of the freewheels, with a spur or bevel gear located between them. The toothing can also be implemented in the form of a helical gear.

[0045] Such a gear connection is easy to implement and offers high operational reliability.

[0046] In one embodiment of the internal combustion engine according to the invention, the cylinders are arranged offset in a tangential direction with respect to a circle defined by the shaft axis as the center. For example, if there are exactly two cylinders in the engine, they can be offset by 180°. If these cylinders have a longitudinal extension of 180°, the result with respect to the full circle around the shaft is that where the first cylinder "ends," the second cylinder "begins."

[0047] The internal combustion engine according to the invention can comprise exactly two cylinders. Preferably, the internal combustion engine according to the invention has a multiple of this number of cylinders, for example, 2, 4, 6 cylinders, etc.

[0048] The combustion engine according to the invention can be designed, for example, as a 2-stroke engine or as a 4-stroke engine.

[0049] In the 2-stroke engine design, the scavenging, ie the expulsion of combustion gases and the supply of fresh gas in the cylinder, can be carried out in a known manner, e.g. by cross-flow scavenging, co-current scavenging, e.g. with a poppet valve, or reverse scavenging.

[0050] In the 4-stroke engine design, there are typically at least 4 cylinders, preferably two pairs of a first and a second cylinder with associated components, in one of the embodiments described here. The movements of the outer side of one of the freewheels of the first cylinder pair can be coupled to the outer side of one of the freewheels of the second cylinder pair in such a way that they occur in opposite directions, with the piston in the cylinder of the first cylinder pair associated with the freewheel and the piston in the cylinder of the second cylinder pair associated with the freewheel, which are coupled to one another in terms of movement, performing an opposite movement.

[0051] In an analogous manner, the movements of pistons or outer sides of the freewheels are preferably coupled if there are more cylinders in the engine, for example 6, 8, etc.

[0052] Typically, gears and bearings of the motor according to the invention are supplied with lubricant in a conventional manner.

[0053] The internal combustion engine may further be characterized in that it comprises a further shaft 23 which is arranged in the center of the gear 21, wherein the movement generated by combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 1, 2 of a cylinder 12, 13 and transmitted to the freewheel by the toothed push rod 17 of a piston 3, 4 is additionally transmitted to this shaft 23.

[0054] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, where applicable, all embodiments described as "usual," "customary," or "preferred" that refer to a cylinder and / or its associated or associated components shall also be considered "usual," "customary," or "preferred" for all other cylinders of the internal combustion engine. This also applies to described cylinder pairs.

[0055] The present invention further relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine in one of the embodiments described here and to the use of an internal combustion engine in one of the embodiments described here for driving a motor vehicle, aircraft or ship.

[0056] EXAMPLE

[0057] A non-limiting embodiment of the internal combustion engine according to the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the figures. Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of the internal combustion engine according to the invention.

[0058] Fig. 2 shows the freewheel arrangement for the embodiment of the tangential motor according to the invention.

[0059] The embodiment of the internal combustion engine according to the invention shown in the figures has two identical cylinders 12, 13 with a circular cross-section and a circular arc in the longitudinal direction, in each of which a piston 3, 4 is present.

[0060] The pistons moving back and forth in the cylinders 12, 13 between the positions Pmin (i.e. the position of the piston with minimum distance to the cylinder head) and Pmax (i.e. the position of the piston with maximum distance to the cylinder head) are sealed against the combustion chamber in the usual way, e.g. by piston rings.

[0061] The motor further comprises a shaft 16 on which two freewheels 26, 27 are mounted, as shown in Fig. 2. These freewheels 26, 27 each have an outer ring 14 and a locking or free-running inner ring 19. The inner rings of the freewheels 26, 27 are firmly connected to the shaft 16, which is mounted with its parts 24, 25 in a holder.

[0062] The cylinders 12, 13 are arranged in such a way that the pistons 3, 4 moving back and forth in them perform opposing, circular movements.

[0063] Associated with the circular cylinders 12, 13 is a toothed push rod 17, which is circularly arc-shaped in its longitudinal direction and is connected to the outer side, i.e., the side facing away from the combustion chamber, of the piston 3, 4 moving back and forth in the respective cylinder. The cylinders 12, 13 are arranged such that the axis of the shaft 16 represents the center of the circle underlying the circular arc of the cylinders 12, 13 and the circular arc of the toothed push rod 17.

[0064] By connecting the pistons 3 and 4 by means of the push rod 17, the piston 3 in the first cylinder 12 and the piston 4 in the second cylinder 13 are returned from Pmax to Pmin.

[0065] The teeth of a gear 21 engage in the toothing 18 of the push rod 17, which is located on the concavely curved side in the longitudinal direction of the push rod 17, which in turn engages on the opposite side in the toothing 28 of one of the freewheels (in Fig. 2 the left freewheel 26), which is located on the outer end face 15 of the outer ring 14 of the freewheel 26.

[0066] The toothed push rod 17 connected to the pistons 3, 4 therefore has engagement points with the gear 21 and the freewheel 26 also has engagement points 22 with the gear 21.

[0067] The internal combustion engine optionally includes an additional shaft 23 located in the center of the gear 21. The movement generated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 1, 2 of a cylinder 12, 13 and transmitted to the freewheel by the toothed push rod 17 of the piston 3, 4 is additionally transmitted to this shaft 23.

[0068] During engine operation, a fuel-air mixture is fed into the combustion chamber 1, 2 of the cylinders 12, 13 through an inlet valve; the combustion gases to be discharged from the respective cylinder are discharged from the cylinder through an exhaust valve.

[0069] The ignition of the fuel-air mixture takes place by means of a spark plug 9, 10 located in the combustion chamber 1, 2 of the cylinders 12, 13. The pistons 3, 4 always move in opposite directions, ie when the first piston 3 moves forward, the second 4 moves back and vice versa.

[0070] For example, ignition in the first cylinder 12 of the engine occurs at a position close to Pmin of the piston, as shown in Fig. 1. As a result, the piston 3 in the first cylinder 12 moves on a circular arc-shaped path due to the force generated by the explosive combustion process, which path is also described by the push rod 17.

[0071] This movement of piston 3 is transmitted via the push rod 17 and gear 21 to the outside of the freewheel 26. In this direction, the freewheel is in locking mode, thus transmitting this partial rotational movement to the shaft 16, which moves in a first rotational direction. During the forward movement of the second piston 4, which occurs in the direction opposite to the forward movement of the first piston, the movement of the piston 4 is transmitted via the push rod 17 and gear 21 to the outside of the freewheel 26, which is opposite to the first direction.This freewheel 26 is in freewheel mode, but the partial rotation is transmitted by the coupling of the freewheels by means of the gear 31 to the second freewheel 27 in the opposite direction of rotation, which is in the locking mode and thus transmits the rotational movement to the shaft 16 in the same first direction of rotation, so that the shaft 16 as a whole is set into continuous rotation in one direction, ie the shaft 16 receives a torque of the same direction from the combustion process in both cylinders 12, 13.

[0072] In this exemplary embodiment, the internal combustion engine according to the invention is designed such that the circle underlying the circular arc shape of the cylinders 12, 13 and thus also of the push rod 17 has a circumference that is larger than the outer circumference of the freewheels, specifically the freewheel 26. Thus, with the circular arc-shaped back and forth movement of the push rod 17 and transmission of the movement via gear 21, a circular arc-shaped back and forth movement of the outer ring of the freewheel 26 is achieved, which sweeps over a larger circular arc, i.e. the push rod.

[0073] For example, the ratio of the maximum possible circular arc movement of the push rod 17, expressed in angular degrees, and the maximum circular arc movement of the freewheel 26 transmitted to the outside, expressed in angular degrees, may be greater than 1, preferably greater than 1.1 and more preferably greater than 1.25, or even greater than 1.5.

[0074] The cylinders 12, 13 are attached to the support device of the engine by means of a fastening device 20, 34.

[0075] The motor support can be anchored to the surface using mounting screws. The support also includes bearings for the shaft.

[0076] List of reference symbols:

[0077] 1 ,2 combustion chamber

[0078] 3, 4 pistons

[0079] 7, 8 Inlet valve

[0080] 9, 10 Spark plug

[0081] 1 1 exhaust valve

[0082] 12, 13 circular cylinder

[0083] 14 Outer ring freewheel

[0084] 15 Front side of the outer ring freewheel

[0085] 16 Wave

[0086] 17 Push rod

[0087] 18 Toothing of the push rod

[0088] 19 inner ring freewheel

[0089] 20, 34 Mounting point for cylinder

[0090] 21 gear

[0091] 22 Freewheel engagement point

[0092] 23 Shaft gear

[0093] 24.25 parts of wave 16

[0094] 26, 27 Freewheel

[0095] 28 Freewheel engagement point

[0096] 29, 30 lateral toothing freewheel

[0097] 31 Connecting gear

[0098] 32, 33 engagement points gear 31

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS 1. Internal combustion engine, characterized in that it comprises two cylinders 12, 13 which are circularly arc-shaped in their longitudinal direction, in each of which a piston 3, 4 is arranged in a combustion chamber from a position with a minimum distance from the cylinder head Pmin to a position with a maximum distance from the cylinder head Pmax, one or two toothed push rods 17 which are circularly arc-shaped in their longitudinal direction and have a toothing 18, on the sides of the pistons 3, 4 facing away from the combustion chamber 1, 2, and two freewheels 26, 27 and a shaft 16, wherein the cylinders 12, 13 are arranged such that the axis of the shaft 16 represents the center of the circle underlying the circular arc shape of the cylinders 12, 13 and of the toothed push rod(s) 17, the toothed push rod(s) 17 are connected to the outside of at least one of the freewheels via their Gearing 18 is / are coupled,the inner sides 19 of the freewheels are each connected to the shaft 16 in such a way that they lock or freewheel in the same direction, the cylinders 12, 13 and the pistons 3, 4 are further arranged such that the movement of the piston 3 in the first cylinder 12 generated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 1 of the first cylinder 12 and the movement of the piston 4 in the second cylinder 13 generated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 2 of the second cylinder 13 occur in opposite directions, the outer sides of the freewheels 26, 27 are coupled to one another in such a way that they execute a movement in opposite directions, and the coupling of the freewheels 26, 27 and the toothed push rod(s) 17 is such that the shaft 16 is set into a continuous rotational movement.

2. Internal combustion engine according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged so that the movement of the toothed push rod(s) 17 is coupled via a gear connection 21 to the outside of at least one of the freewheels 26, 27.

3. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the circular arc-shaped longitudinal extent of one or both cylinders 12, 13 relative to the circle underlying their circular arc shape is 90° or more or more, preferably 120° or more, more preferably 160° or more and even more preferably 180° or more.

4. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the circular arc-shaped stroke of the piston 3, 4 in one or in both cylinders 12, 13, based on the circle underlying its circular arc shape, is 90° or more, preferably 120° or more, more preferably 160° or more, and even more preferably 180° or more.

5. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is designed such that the coupling of the movement of the outer sides 14 of the freewheels 26, 27 is effected by a gear connection 31.

6. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ratio of the maximum possible circular arc-shaped movement(s) of the push rod(s) expressed in angular degrees and the maximum circular arc-shaped movement of the freewheels transmitted to the outside, expressed in angular degrees, is greater than 1, preferably greater than 1.1 and more preferably greater than 1.

25.

7. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cylinders 12, 13 are arranged offset with respect to a circle defined by the axis of the shaft 16 as the center.

8. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one inlet 7, 8 and one exhaust valve 11 as well as one spark plug 9, 10 are present per cylinder 12, 13.

9. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is arranged such that the movements of the pistons 3, 4 in the cylinders 12, 13 are such that when the piston 3 of the first cylinder 12 is at the position with minimum distance from the cylinder head Pmin1, the piston 4 in the second cylinder 13 is at the position with maximum distance from the cylinder head Pmax2.

10. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the engine comprises fastening points 34, 20 for fastening the cylinders 12, 13. 1 1 . Method for operating an internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims.

12. Motor vehicle, aircraft or ship comprising an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. Use of an internal combustion engine according to one of claims 1 to 11 for driving a motor vehicle, aircraft or ship.

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