Booster converter circuit for vehicles

1. A booster converter circuit for a vehicle comprising:

a battery that outputs a DC voltage;

a switching unit having a switching element to be controlled to ON or OFF;

an inductive element unit being connected between the battery and the switching unit and including an inductive element;

an output voltage measuring unit that measures an output voltage of the booster converter circuit for a vehicle;

a current measuring unit that measures a converter current flowing through a path from the battery to the switching unit; and

a switching control unit that controls the switching element, the switching control unit including:

a duty ratio determining device that obtains a duty ratio when controlling the switching element; and

a switching element controlling device that controls the switching element at the duty ratio obtained by the duty ratio determining device, causing the inductive element to generate an induced electromotive force by the control of the switching element, such that the booster converter circuit outputs a voltage obtained by adding the induced electromotive force to an output voltage of the battery and supplies electrical power to a motor for driving a vehicle using the outputted voltage,

wherein the duty ratio determining device includes a duty ratio calculating device that obtains a new duty ratio on the basis of a duty ratio obtained previously and the measured output voltage value at the time when the duty ratio obtained previously was obtained, when a measured converter current value at the time of obtaining a new duty ratio exceeds a predetermined current threshold, and

wherein the duty ratio determining device obtains a new duty ratio so that a value of the converter current falls within a predetermined range.

2. The booster converter circuit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the switching element controlling device includes a duty ratio correcting and controlling device that obtains a current difference value indicating the difference between the value of the converter current and a target current control value and correcting and controlling the new value of the duty ratio on the basis of the current difference value so that the value of the converter current approaches the target current control value, and

the switching element is controlled at the corrected and controlled duty ratio.

3. The booster converter circuit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

one end of the inductive element is connected to one of the terminals of the battery, the switching unit includes a first switching element having one terminal thereof connected to the other end of the inductive element and another terminal connected to the other terminal of the battery, a second switching element having one terminal thereof connected to the other end of the inductive element, and an output capacitor to be connected between the other terminal of the second switching element and the other terminal of the battery,

the converter current is a current flowing in the inductive element,

the switching control unit controls the first and second switching elements, and

the booster converter circuit for a vehicle outputs an inter-terminal voltage of the output capacitor as the output voltage.

4. A booster converter circuit for a vehicle comprising:

a battery that outputs a DC voltage;

a switching unit having a switching element to be controlled to ON or OFF;

an inductive element unit being connected between the battery and the switching unit and including an inductive element;

an output voltage measuring unit that measures an output voltage of the booster converter circuit for the vehicle; and

a switching control unit that controls the switching element, the switching control unit including:

a duty ratio determining device that obtains a duty ratio when controlling the switching element; and

a switching element controlling device that controls the switching element at the duty ratio obtained by the duty ratio determining device, causing the inductive element to generate an induced electromotive force by the control of the switching element, such that the booster converter circuit outputs a voltage obtained by adding the induced electromotive force to an output voltage of the battery and supplies electrical power to a motor for driving a vehicle using the outputted voltage,

wherein the duty ratio determining device includes:

an increase estimating device that obtains an estimated increase value of a converter current flowing through a path from the battery to the switching unit, on the basis of a control state of the switching element;

an allowable current increase value calculating device that obtains an allowable current increase value by subtracting a value of the converter current at the time of controlling the switching element on the basis of the duty ratio obtained previously from a predetermined current threshold; and

a duty ratio calculating device that obtains a new duty ratio when the estimated increase value exceeds the allowable increase value, on the basis of the duty ratio obtained previously, the measured output voltage value, and the allowable current increase value; and

wherein the duty ratio determining device obtains a new duty ratio so that a value of the converter current falls within a predetermined range.

5. The booster converter circuit for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the allowable current increase value calculating device obtains the allowable current increase value by calculating a value of the converter current on the basis of the output voltage of the battery, the duty ratio obtained previously, and the measured output voltage value, and subtracting the calculated value of the converter current from the predetermined current threshold.

6. The booster converter circuit for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein a current measuring unit that measures the converter current is provided, and

the allowable current increase value calculating device obtains the allowable current increase value by subtracting a measured converter current value at the time when the switching element is controlled on the basis of the duty ratio obtained previously from the predetermined current threshold.

7. The booster converter circuit for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein

the switching element controlling device includes a duty ratio correcting and controlling device that obtains a current difference value indicating the difference between the value of the converter current and a target current control value and correcting and controlling the new value of the duty ratio on the basis of the current difference value so that the value of the converter current approaches the target current control value, and

the switching element is controlled at the corrected and controlled duty ratio.

8. The booster converter circuit for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein

one end of the inductive element is connected to one of the terminals of the battery,

the switching unit includes a first switching element having one terminal thereof connected to the other end of the inductive element and another terminal connected to the other terminal of the battery, a second switching element having one terminal thereof connected to the other end of the inductive element, and an output capacitor to be connected between the other terminal of the second switching element and the other terminal of the battery,

the converter current is a current flowing in the inductive element,

the switching control unit controls the first and second switching elements, and

the booster converter circuit for a vehicle outputs an inter-terminal voltage of the output capacitor as the output voltage.