Patent ID: 11859542
Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE NORTH AMERICAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 17:
18. A method comprising:
combusting a fuel with a turbine engine to mechanically rotate a rotor to generate a shaft power and generate an engine air flow through the turbine engine using a first portion of the shaft power, wherein the turbine engine is configured to provide a forward thrust to an aircraft body by exhausting an exhaust flow through a nozzle of the turbine engine, and wherein the exhaust flow is a portion of the engine air flow;
rotating a second rotor using a second turbine engine to generate a second shaft power and generate a second engine air flow through the second turbine engine, wherein the second turbine engine is configured to provide a second forward thrust to the aircraft body by exhausting an second exhaust flow through a second nozzle, and wherein the second exhaust flow is a portion of the second engine air flow;
generating a first vertical thrust on the aircraft body using a shaft-driven lift fan configured to rotate using rotor power transferred from the rotor, wherein the rotor power is a second portion of the shaft power;
supplying a gas flow, using a duct configured to selectively bypass at least one of the nozzle or the second nozzle, to a gas-driven lift fan, wherein the gas flow is another portion of the engine air flow or another portion of the second engine air flow; and
generating a second vertical thrust on the aircraft body using the gas-driven lift fan, wherein the gas-driven lift fan is configured to rotate using the gas flow.