Distributed cavity air pumping assembly and method for a tire

A method for pumping air for maintenance of air pressure within a tire cavity of a rolling tire, the tire being of a type having a tire cavity, first and second sidewalls extending respectively from first and second tire bead regions to a tire tread region;

• the method comprising:
• deploying at least one elongate air passageway within a tire component, the air passageway comprising a series of elongate cavities, adjacent cavities connected end to end by an elongate tubular connecting channel;
• sizing the connecting channel to have a channel diametric size smaller than a cavity diametric size;
• forming the connecting channel to have an unobstructed uniform diameter tubular configuration end to end at the smaller diametric size, wherein the connecting channel operatively allowing an unobstructive bidirectional air flow at the smaller diametric size between the adjacent cavities responsive to opposite directions of rotation of the tire;
• locating the air passageway within an elastic tire compound material operative to sequentially at least partially collapse each cavity sequentially as the cavities pass sequentially over a rolling tire footprint;
• and
• pumping air from a cavity through the connecting channel to an adjacent cavity as the air passageway sequentially collapses between an air passageway air inlet and an air passageway air outlet.