Abstract: An illumination system, preferably for illumination in a car, comprising at least one plain or slightly curved, solid light guide (4) made of transparent material, said light guide receiving light from a light (2) source and being provided with means (5, 6) for extracting light from said light guide, the means for extracting light from said light guide have. Reflecting surfaces (7, 8, 9, 10) the slopes of which are varied as a function of the position of the extracting means in the light guide as well as the position of a reading plane, so as to direct the light flux to a desired reading plane position. Preferably the illumination system a laminated structure of light guide layers, said layers being formed of a light guide layer for diffuse homogeneous illumination (1) and at least one light guide layer (4) for spot illumination of a reading plane.

Abstract: A rare-gas low-pressure discharge lamp for generating ultraviolet light, in particular for cosmetic or therapeutic purposes, has a discharge vessel which is filled with rare gas and is at least partly transparent to UV light and which is at least partly coated with a phosphor which radiates UV light upon excitation by an excitation radiation produced in the discharge vessel so as to utilize a desired spectral range.