Patent ID: 7967477

Claim:
An optical system for producing substantially collimated light in a forward direction, wherein the optical system has a long axis and a short axis that are orthogonal to each other and the forward direction is perpendicular to the long axis and the short axis, the optical system comprising: at least one light source; a cylindrical side emitter lens optically coupled to the at least one light source, the cylindrical side emitter lens having a cylindrical axis parallel to the short axis and configured to redirect a portion of light emitted from the at least one light source to provide side emitted light that is perpendicular to the forward direction and parallel to the long axis; at least one reflector positioned to receive the side emitted light from the cylindrical side emitter lens and redirect the light substantially in the forward direction, the reflector is configured so that substantially uniform illumination is produced over an exit plane of the optical system and the light that is reflected by the reflector is substantially collimated in the forward direction with respect to a plane defined by the forward direction and the long axis; and a cylindrical Fresnel lens coupled to receive the forward directed light from the at least one reflector, the cylindrical Fresnel lens having a cylindrical axis parallel to the long axis that substantially collimates the forward directed light with respect to a plane defined by the forward direction and the short axis.