Totally internally reflecting light conduit

A light fixture, comprising:

• a housing having an inner surface and an outer surface;
• a hollow, tubular light conduit contained within said housing including a wall member of a transparent material, said wall member having a structured surface on one side and a smooth surface opposite said structured surface on the other side, and at least a portion of the cross-section of said wall member lying in a smooth arcuate curve, said structured surface having a linear array of substantially right angled isosceles prisms arranged side-by-side, the perpendicular sides of said prisms making an angle of approximately 45.degree. with the tangent to said smooth surface opposite said structured surface;
• performance manipulating means associated with said wall member for allowing light to be emitted from said light conduit through said wall member without being contained within said light fixture by total internal reflection;
• optical window means in said housing for allowing the emission of light from said light conduit through said optical window means;
• and
• light source means associated with said light conduit for supplying light into said light conduit so that light entering said light conduit may be emitted from said light conduit and may thereby exit from said light fixture through said optical window means.

A warning light, comprising:

• a hollow, tubular housing having an inner surface and an outer surface;
• a hollow, tubular light conduit contained within said housing including a wall member of a transparent material, said wall member having a structured surface on one side and a smooth surface opposite said structured surface on the other side, said structured surface having a linear array of substantially right angled isosceles prisms arranged side-by-side, the perpendicular sides of said prisms making an angle of approximately 45.degree. with the tangent to said smooth surface opposite said structured surface;
• optical window means in said housing for allowing the emission of light from said light conduit through said optical window means;
• light source means associated with one end of said light conduit for supplying light into said light conduit so that light entering said light conduit may be emitted from said light conduit and may thereby exit from said light fixture through said optical window means.