Light control system with cube-shaped, two-dimensional tunable prisms

A tunable prism, comprising:

• a cube-shaped housing comprising first, second, third, and fourth side walls and first and second end walls, the first side wall spaced apart from the second side wall and coupled to, and disposed perpendicular to, the third and fourth side walls, the third side wall spaced apart from the fourth side wall and coupled to, and disposed perpendicular to, the first and second side walls, the first and second end walls spaced apart from each other, the first and second end walls each coupled to, and disposed perpendicular to, the first, second, third, and fourth side walls, whereby the first, second, third, and fourth side walls and the first and second end walls define a cube-shaped inner cavity;
• a polar liquid disposed within the cube-shaped inner cavity;
• a first pair of electrodes coupled, one each, to the first and second side walls;
• a second pair of electrodes coupled, one each, to the third and fourth side walls;
• and
• a grounding electrode electrically connected to the polar liquid,
• wherein:
• the first and second end walls are each light transmissive,
• a dielectric layer is coated on the first, second, third, and fourth side walls,
• a hydrophobic layer overlies the dielectric layer, and
• the polar liquid contacts the hydrophobic layer.

A light control system, comprising:

• a housing;
• a controllable power source configured to supply at least four variable voltages;
• a light source coupled to the housing and operable, upon being electrically energized, to emit a light beam;
• and
• a plurality of cube-shaped tunable prisms coupled to the housing and arranged in an array in a manner in which there are no gaps between adjacent tunable prisms, each tunable prism disposed to receive a portion of the light beam emitted from the light source, each tunable prism having a tunable deflection angle that is variable in two dimensions and configured to optically steer the light beam emitted from the light source in the two dimensions based on the tunable deflection angle, each tunable prism further coupled to receive the four variable voltages from the controllable power source, each tunable prism comprising a liquid that varies the tunable deflection angle in the two dimensions in response to the four variable voltages supplied thereto, whereby deflection of the light beam emitted from the light source varies in response to the four variable voltages supplied to each tunable prism,
• wherein the four variable voltages include a first variable voltage, a second variable voltage, a third variable voltage, and a fourth variable voltage, and each of the cube-shaped tunable prisms comprises:
• first, second, third, and fourth side walls and first and second end walls, the first side wall spaced apart from the second side wall and coupled to, and disposed perpendicular to, the third and fourth side walls, the third side wall spaced apart from the fourth side wall and coupled to, and disposed perpendicular to, the first and second side walls, the first and second end walls spaced apart from each other, the first and second end walls each coupled to, and disposed perpendicular to, the first, second, third, and fourth side walls, whereby the first, second, third, and fourth side walls and the first and second end walls define a cube-shaped inner cavity;
• a polar liquid and a non-polar liquid disposed within the cube-shaped inner cavity;
• a first electrode coupled to the first sidewall and coupled to receive the first variable voltage;
• a second electrode coupled to the second side wall and coupled to receive the second variable voltage;
• a third electrode coupled to the third side wall and coupled to receive the third variable voltage;
• a fourth electrode coupled to the fourth side wall and coupled to receive the fourth variable voltage;
• and
• a grounding electrode electrically connected to the polar liquid,
• wherein:
• the first and second end walls are each light transmissive,
• a dielectric layer is coated on the first, second, third, and fourth side walls,
• a hydrophobic layer overlies the dielectric layer, and
• the polar liquid and the non-polar liquid both contact the hydrophobic layer.