Air maintenance pumping assembly and tire

摘要

A tire assembly includes a tire having a pneumatic cavity, first and second sidewalls, a sidewall groove, an air passageway, and a pressure regulator mounted to an inner surface of the pneumatic tire cavity. The pressure regulator controls air pressure within the pneumatic tire cavity. The first and second sidewalls extend respectively from first and second tire bead regions to a tire tread region. The first sidewall has at least one bending region operatively bending when circumferentially within a rolling tire footprint. The sidewall groove defining groove sidewalls positioned within the bending region of the first tire sidewall. The groove and air passageway deform segment by segment between a non-deformed state and a deformed, constricted state in response to the bending of the first sidewall bending region circumferentially within the rolling tire footprint.

主权项

1. A tire assembly comprising:
a tire having a pneumatic cavity; first and second sidewalls extending respectively from first and second tire bead regions to a tire tread region, the first sidewall having at least one bending region operatively bending when circumferentially within a rolling tire footprint; a sidewall groove defined by groove sidewalls positioned within the bending region of the first tire sidewall, the groove deforming segment by segment between a non-deformed state and a deformed, constricted state in response to the bending of the first sidewall bending region circumferentially within the rolling tire footprint; an air passageway resiliently deforming segment by segment between an expanded condition and an at least partially collapsed condition in response to respective segment by segment deformation of the sidewall groove when circumferentially within the rolling tire footprint; and a pressure regulator mounted to an inner surface of the pneumatic tire cavity, the pressure regulator controlling air pressure with the pneumatic tire cavity, the pressure regulator having an elongate cylindrical housing with a rectangular mounting projection.