Light emitting device, vehicle headlamp, illumination device, and laser element

1. A light emitting device comprising:

a laser beam source;

a light emitting section for generating fluorescence by receiving a laser beam from the laser beam source;

an opaque heat conductive member supporting the light emitting section; and

a light irradiation section for irradiating a light irradiated surface of the light emitting section with the laser beam which increases regularly in beam diameter in a direction in which the laser beam travels,

the heat conductive member having a surface that is in contact with a bottom surface of the light emitting section, the bottom surface being opposite from the irradiated surface, and the bottom surface and the irradiated surface being parallel to each other,

wherein the light irradiation section includes an increasing rate changing element through which the laser beam emitted from the laser beam source travels, and the increasing rate changing element reduces an increasing rate of a beam diameter of the laser beam in the direction in which the laser beam travels, as the laser beam travels through the increasing rate changing element,

the increasing rate changing element is a lens, and no optical member that changes the increasing rate of the laser beam is provided between the increasing rate changing element and the light emitting section, the lens consisting of a single piece of optical component, and

the laser beam source and the lens are configured so that the lens expands the diameter of the laser beam exiting from the lens toward the light emitting section.

2. The light emitting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

a spot of the laser beam on the light irradiated surface of the light emitting section has a larger area than an area of a light emitting point of the laser beam source which emits the laser beam.

3. The light emitting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

the lens is provided on an optical path of the laser beam emitted from the laser beam source; and

the laser beam increases regularly in beam diameter after the laser beam travels through the lens.

4. The light emitting device as set forth in claim 3 , wherein:

a spot of the laser beam on the lens has a smaller area than that of the light irradiated surface of the light emitting section, which laser beam is emitted from the laser beam source and is incident on the lens.

5. The light emitting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

the light irradiation section includes a housing in which the laser beam source is provided; and

the housing and the increasing rate changing element are formed integral with each other.

6. The light emitting device as set forth in claim 2 , further comprising:

light projecting means for projecting the fluorescence generated by the light emitting section,

the light projecting means being arranged such that at least a part of the light projecting means is positioned above the light irradiated surface of the light emitting section,

the spot of the laser beam on the light irradiated surface of the light emitting section having a smaller area than an area of the light irradiated surface.

7. A vehicle headlamp comprising:

a light emitting device recited in claim 1 .

8. An illumination device comprising:

a light emitting device recited in claim 1 .

9. The light emitting device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the laser beam source, the lens and the light emitting section are aligned on a straight optical axis.

10. A light emitting device comprising:

a laser beam source emitting a laser beam having a beam diameter expanding as the laser beam travels away from the laser beam source;

a light emitting section having an irradiation surface and a bottom surface opposite from the irradiation surface and generating fluorescence by receiving the laser beam at the irradiation surface, the bottom surface and the irradiated surface being parallel to each other;

a lens receiving the laser beam from the laser beam source and projecting the laser beam directly to the light emitting section, the projected laser beam having a beam diameter expanding as the laser beam travels away from the lens toward the light emitting section, the lens reducing a rate of expansion of the beam diameter when the laser beam passes through the lens, the lens consisting of a single piece of optical component; and

an opaque heat conductive member supporting the light emitting section, the heat conductive member having a surface that is in contact with the bottom surface of the light emitting section.