A LENTICULAR ILLUMINATION SYSTEM

摘要

An optical illumination system (2) comprising a waveguide (16) that accepts light and transmits the light via total internal reflection. Attached on one face of the waveguide (16) is an array of lenticular microprisms (28), with each microprism (28) having a light input surface (30) optically coupled to the waveguide (16) and a light output surface (32). The light input surface (30) is defined by a number of tapered grooves (34) which prevent light from escaping form the waveguide (16) and further redirect light within the microprism (28). Light that escapes from the waveguide (16), reflects off the tilted sidewalls (36, 38) of the tapered grooves (34) and emerges from the microprism (28) as a spatially directed light source. An array of lenticular microlenses (60) may be positioned to accept the output of the microprisms (28) so that the light exiting from the microlenses (60) is a substantially collimated light source.