How to add a mobile device and contactless SIM

Abstract

To allow easy addition of a SIM for connecting to a new wireless network to a mobile terminal.SOLUTION: A mobile terminal 1 comprises: a short-range wireless communication controller 10; and non-contact SIM means 130 that sets the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to an operation mode corresponding to a terminal mode, and causes the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to execute processing corresponding to the terminal mode. The short-range wireless communication controller 10 is designed for a reader / writer mode. Upon being set to a terminal mode using a non-contact SIM 2 present on the outside, the non-contact SIM means 130 sets the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to the reader / writer mode, and causes the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to execute processing of searching for the non-contact SIM 2 and processing of establishing a communication link with the non-contact SIM 2 searched for as the processing corresponding to the terminal mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for adding a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module), which is required for connecting to a wireless network, to a mobile terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] With the spread of IoT (Internet of Things), wireless networks and the communication methods used in wireless networks are becoming more and more diverse. Wireless networks can be broadly divided into public wireless networks and local wireless networks.

[0003] A public wireless network is a wireless network built by a mobile communications carrier over a wide area. For public wireless networks, communication methods such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or public 5G (5th Generation) are used. A local wireless network is a wireless network built in a limited area, such as within a building or on a premises, by a carrier that is not a mobile communications carrier. For local wireless networks, communication methods such as local 5G or sXGP (shared extended global platform) are used.

[0004] As described above, there are various wireless networks and communication methods used in wireless networks, but in any wireless network, a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is used for user authentication of a subscriber who has subscribed to the wireless network. In this invention, the generic name for devices used for user authentication of a wireless network subscriber is SIM. In this invention, SIM also includes UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card).

[0005] The mechanism for user authentication using SIM cards has been standardized by standardization organizations such as ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), and GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association). User authentication using SIM cards uses authentication parameters stored in the SIM card. These authentication parameters include an encryption key and an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).

[0006] In this situation, the use of multiple SIMs in one mobile device is on the rise. For example, a mobile device provided to an employee of a company that has built a local wireless network within the building requires a SIM for connecting to the public wireless network and a SIM for connecting to the local wireless network. Employees need to select the SIM to use in their mobile device depending on their location. If the employee is inside the company building, the employee selects a SIM for connecting to the local wireless network. If the employee is outside the company building, the employee selects a SIM for connecting to the public wireless network.

[0007] There are many other cases where two SIMs are needed. For example, a self-employed person may use a business SIM and a personal SIM in one mobile device. Furthermore, a person who travels abroad frequently may use a SIM for overseas use and a SIM for their home country in one mobile device.

[0008] In light of this, various methods for implementing multiple SIMs in one mobile terminal have already been disclosed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a mobile terminal that can accommodate multiple SIMs and that can use multiple SIMs separately. Patent Document 2 discloses a multi-IMSI method that stores multiple IMSIs in one SIM and switches between IMSIs according to the location of the subscriber, as one method for solving this problem. Non-Patent Document 1 and other documents have also formulated an embedded SIM that switches profiles including IMSIs and authentication parameters as a method for solving this problem. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-208656 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-42491 A [Non-patent literature]

[0010] [Non-Patent Document 1] RSP Architecture Version 1.0 23 December 2015(GSMA) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] Until now, public wireless networks have been mainstream, but local wireless networks are expected to become more prevalent in the future. As local wireless networks become more prevalent, it is desirable to be able to easily add new SIMs to mobile terminals. Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to make it possible to easily add new SIMs to mobile terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] A first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a mobile terminal including a short-range wireless communication controller for controlling short-range wireless communication, and contactless SIM means for, when a terminal mode related to a contactless SIM is set, setting the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller to an operation mode corresponding to the terminal mode and making the short-range wireless communication controller execute processing corresponding to the terminal mode. In the mobile terminal according to the first invention, the short-range wireless communication controller corresponds to a reader / writer mode which is an operation mode for operating as a reader / writer of a contactless communication medium, and when the contactless SIM means is set to a terminal mode for adding a contactless SIM, it sets the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller to the reader / writer mode and makes the short-range wireless communication controller execute processing corresponding to the terminal mode, processing for searching for an externally existing contactless SIM and processing for establishing a communication link with the searched contactless SIM.

[0013] Furthermore, a second invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is the mobile terminal according to the first invention, which is equipped with a contact type SIM. In the mobile terminal according to the second invention, the short-range wireless communication controller corresponds to a card emulation mode in which it acts as a contactless communication medium corresponding to short-range wireless communication, and when the contactless SIM means is set to a terminal mode in which it acts as a contactless SIM, the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller is set to a card emulation mode, and the short-range wireless communication controller is made to execute a process of contact communication with a contact type SIM inserted inside a smart device as a process corresponding to the terminal mode.

[0014] Furthermore, a third invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a method for adding a contactless SIM to a mobile terminal. The method for adding a contactless SIM according to the third invention includes the steps of: a step in which the mobile terminal receives a setting of a terminal mode for adding a contactless SIM as a terminal mode related to the contactless SIM; a step in which the mobile terminal sets a reader / writer mode operating as a reader / writer of a contactless communication medium as an operation mode of a short-range wireless communication controller that controls short-range wireless communication; a step in which the mobile terminal causes the short-range wireless communication controller to execute a process of searching for a contactless SIM; and a step in which the mobile terminal causes the short-range wireless communication controller to execute a process of establishing a communication link with the searched contactless SIM. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, by enabling a mobile terminal to use a contactless SIM, a new SIM can be easily added to the mobile terminal without having to insert a new SIM into the mobile terminal or replace the SIM inserted in the mobile terminal with a new SIM. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a sticker-type contactless SIM. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a mobile terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the software configuration of a mobile terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a contactless SIM means provided in a mobile terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a contactless SIM means provided in a mobile terminal. [Figure 7] A diagram explaining how to use the contactless SIM emulation mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] From here, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the description of this embodiment is provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the description of this embodiment. Please note that the present invention can be implemented in a form different from this embodiment. Also, unless otherwise specified, the drawings are schematic diagrams drawn to facilitate understanding of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile terminal 1 according to this embodiment. The mobile terminal 1 refers to a multi-functional portable terminal that has a wireless network communication function and can implement various applications. The mobile terminal 1 is also called a smart device. FIG. 1 illustrates the mobile terminal 1 as a smartphone. The mobile terminal 1 includes, in addition to smartphones, tablet computers, notebook personal computers, and conventional mobile phones.

[0019] The mobile terminal 1 according to this embodiment has a short-distance wireless communication function compatible with NFC (Near Field Communication), which is an international standard for short-distance wireless communication. The mobile terminal 1 according to this embodiment is configured to be able to access the contactless SIM 2 using the short-distance wireless communication function.

[0020] An NFC-compatible mobile terminal 1 has three operation modes, which will be described below. The first operation mode is a reader / writer mode. In the reader / writer mode, the mobile terminal 1 operates as a reader / writer for short-range wireless communication. The second operation mode is a card emulation mode. In the card emulation mode, the mobile terminal 1 behaves as a contactless communication medium compatible with short-range wireless communication. In addition to these operation modes, NFC also defines a P2P mode (P2P: Peer to Peer), which is an operation mode in which devices compatible with short-range wireless communication communicate with each other.

[0021] The contactless SIM 2 is a contactless communication medium that stores information necessary for connecting to a wireless network and has a short-range wireless communication function compatible with NFC as a communication function. If the contactless SIM 2 can be used as a SIM necessary for connecting to a wireless network, when it is desired to use a new SIM in the mobile terminal 1, it is no longer necessary to insert a SIM for connecting to a new wireless network into the mobile terminal or to replace the SIM inserted in the mobile terminal 1 with a new SIM.

[0022] Figure 2 explains an example of a contactless SIM 2. The contactless SIM 2 illustrated in Figure 2 is in the form of a sticker. There is a high degree of freedom in the shape and design of the sticker-type contactless SIM 2, and the sticker-type contactless SIM 2 is suitable for distribution at event venues, etc.

[0023] An adhesive layer 22 for attaching the sticker-like contactless SIM 2 is formed on the back surface of the sticker-like contactless SIM 2. This adhesive layer 22 allows a new SIM to be added to the mobile terminal 1 simply by attaching the sticker-like contactless SIM 2 to the back surface of the mobile terminal 1 or the back surface of the case of the mobile terminal 1.

[0024] The sticker-like contactless SIM 2 is equipped with an antenna 20 and an IC chip 21 connected to it. The antenna 20 is coil-shaped to support short-range wireless communication. The IC chip 21 stores the information required to connect to a wireless network and the commands required for this, and has a short-range wireless communication interface that complies with NFC (for example, an interface that complies with ISO14443).

[0025] 2 merely illustrates a sticker-like contactless SIM 2 as an example of the contactless SIM 2. The contactless SIM 2 may be a dual interface type having two communication functions: a contact communication function compatible with ISO 7816 and a short-range wireless communication function compatible with NFC.

[0026] 3 illustrates a hardware configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 1. FIG. 4 illustrates a software configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 1.

[0027] 3, the mobile terminal 1 includes a wireless transceiver 15 connected to an antenna 15a, a baseband 14, a short-range wireless communication controller 10 connected to an antenna 10a for short-range wireless communication, a contact-type SIM 11, a touch panel 12, and a processor 13. The wireless transceiver 15 connected to the antenna 15a is connected to the baseband 14. The baseband 14, the short-range wireless communication controller 10, the contact-type SIM 11, and the touch panel 12 are connected to the processor 13.

[0028] The baseband 14 is a circuit that performs processing related to wireless communication control functions such as signal generation, signal modulation, frequency shifting, etc. The wireless transceiver 15 connected to the baseband 14 is a circuit that processes radio waves related to the public wireless communication network.

[0029] The short-distance wireless communication controller 10, to which the antenna 10a for short-distance wireless communication is connected, is a circuit that performs processing related to a short-distance wireless communication function that complies with NFC. The short-distance wireless communication controller 10 is also called a CLF (Contactless Front-End).

[0030] The contact type SIM 11 is a SIM inserted into the mobile terminal 1. In FIG. 3, the contact type SIM 11 is connected to the processor 13 and the short-range wireless communication controller 10. The contact type SIM 11 inserted inside the mobile terminal 1 has an ISO7816 interface and an SWP / HCI (Single Wire Protocol / Host Controller Interface) interface. The communication between the contact type SIM 11 and the processor 13 complies with the ISO7816 standard. The communication between the contact type SIM 11 and the short-range wireless communication controller 10 complies with the SWP / HCI standard. The SWP / HCI standard is defined by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute).

[0031] The touch panel 12 is a device that combines a touch pad and a display. As a display to be combined with the touch panel 12, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) are used.

[0032] 4, the software configuration of the mobile terminal 1 is made up of a physical layer 100, an operating system layer 101, and an application layer 102. The physical layer 100 is the IC chip 21. The operating system layer 101 includes NFC middleware 1010 that controls the near field communication controller 10. The application layer 102 implements a contactless SIM application 1020 that uses the near field communication controller 10 to manage the behavior of the mobile terminal 1 related to the contactless SIM 2.

[0033] The NFC middleware 1010 implemented in the operating system layer 101 is configured to realize the reader / writer mode and the P2P mode among the NFC operation modes. The NFC middleware 1010 has a function of transmitting a carrier wave for detecting a non-contact communication medium using the short-range wireless communication controller 10.

[0034] The processor 13 is a device for processing data and instructions, and executes an application implemented in the application layer 102. In this embodiment, the contactless SIM application 1020 implemented in the application layer 102 is configured to have the user set the terminal mode related to the contactless SIM 2, and when the terminal mode is set, to set the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to an operation mode corresponding to the terminal mode, and to have the short-range wireless communication controller 10 execute processing corresponding to the terminal mode. When the processor 13 executes the contactless SIM application 1020, the processor 13 functions as a contactless SIM means 130 that has the user set the terminal mode related to the contactless SIM 2, and when the terminal mode is set, to set the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to an operation mode corresponding to the terminal mode, and to have the short-range wireless communication controller 10 execute processing corresponding to the terminal mode.

[0035] In this embodiment, one of the terminal modes is a contactless SIM use mode in which a contactless SIM 2 external to the mobile terminal 1 is added. When the contactless SIM use mode is selected as the terminal mode, the contactless SIM means 130 sets the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to a reader / writer mode, and causes the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to execute a process of searching for a contactless SIM 2 and a process of establishing a communication link with the searched contactless SIM 2, as processes corresponding to the terminal mode. By establishing a communication link between the contactless SIM 2 and the mobile terminal 1, the mobile terminal 1 can read information required for connecting to a wireless network from the contactless SIM 2.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a first diagram illustrating the operation of the contactless SIM means 130 provided in the mobile terminal 1. As shown in FIG.

[0037] When the contactless SIM application 1020 is selected using the touch panel 12, the contactless SIM means 130 is activated in the mobile terminal 1 (step S1). The contactless SIM means 130 activated in the mobile terminal 1 displays a terminal mode setting screen on the touch panel 12 (step S2). One of the terminal modes that can be selected and are displayed on the touch panel 12 is the contactless SIM use mode, and it is assumed here that the contactless SIM use mode has been selected.

[0038] When the contactless SIM use mode is selected, the contactless SIM means 130 of the mobile terminal 1 sets the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to the reader / writer mode (step S3).

[0039] Next, the contactless SIM means 130 of the mobile terminal 1 causes the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to search for a contactless communication medium (here, the contactless SIM 2) present in the vicinity of the mobile terminal 1 (step S4). When searching for a contactless communication medium (here, the contactless SIM 2), the short-range wireless communication controller 10 sends out a carrier wave carrying a search command. In NFC, a search command for searching for a contactless communication medium is called a Polling command. In short-range wireless communication compliant with NFC, the maximum communication distance is approximately 10 cm. Therefore, the contactless SIM 2 that the mobile terminal 1 can use is limited to a contactless SIM 2 that is within a distance of approximately 10 cm from the mobile terminal 1.

[0040] When the short-range wireless communication controller 10 searches for a contactless SIM 2 existing in the vicinity of the mobile terminal 1, the contactless SIM means 130 of the mobile terminal 1 causes the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to execute a process of establishing a communication link with the contactless SIM 2 searched for by the short-range wireless communication controller 10 (step S5). In the process of establishing the communication link, an exchange of communication parameters and mutual authentication are executed between the short-range wireless communication controller 10 and the contactless SIM 2.

[0041] If the establishment of the communication link with the contactless SIM2 is successful, the contactless SIM2 becomes available for use (step S6). If the establishment of the communication link with the contactless SIM2 fails, the contactless SIM2 becomes unavailable for use (step S7). This concludes the explanation of FIG. 5.

[0042] As described above, the mobile terminal 1 according to this embodiment corresponds to the card emulation mode in which the mobile terminal 1 behaves as a contactless communication medium. In this embodiment, the contactless SIM application 1020 implemented in the application layer 102 corresponds to the contactless SIM emulation mode in which the mobile terminal 1 behaves as a contactless SIM 2 by using the card emulation mode as one of the terminal modes.

[0043] When the contactless SIM emulation mode is selected as the terminal mode for the contactless SIM 2, the contactless SIM means 130 sets the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to card emulation mode so that the contact SIM 11 inserted inside the mobile terminal 1 can be recognized as the contactless SIM 2.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a second diagram illustrating the operation of the contactless SIM means 130 provided in the mobile terminal 1. As shown in FIG.

[0045] When the contactless SIM application 1020 is selected using the touch panel 12, the contactless SIM means 130 is activated in the mobile terminal 1 (step S10). The contactless SIM means 130 activated in the mobile terminal 1 displays a terminal mode setting screen on the touch panel 12 (step S11). The selectable terminal modes displayed on the touch panel 12 include the contactless SIM use mode described above and the contactless SIM emulation mode, and it is assumed here that the contactless SIM emulation mode is selected.

[0046] When the contactless SIM emulation mode is selected, the contactless SIM means 130 of the mobile terminal 1 sets the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to the card emulation mode (step S12).

[0047] Next, the contactless SIM means 130 of the mobile terminal 1 causes the short-range wireless communication controller 10 to execute a process for contact communication with the contact SIM 11 inserted inside the mobile terminal 1 as a process corresponding to the terminal mode (step S13).

[0048] In the contactless SIM emulation mode, the short-range wireless communication controller 10 transmits data received using the short-range wireless interface to the SIM 11 using the SWP / HCI interface. Also, in this mode, the short-range wireless communication controller 10 transmits response data received from the SIM 11 using the SWP / HCI interface using the short-range wireless interface. This completes the explanation of FIG. 6.

[0049] How to use the contactless SIM emulation mode is explained in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 illustrates a smartphone 1a and a notebook personal computer 1b as the mobile terminal 1 according to this embodiment.

[0050] 7, the smartphone 1a is set to the contactless SIM emulation mode. The notebook personal computer 1b is set to the contactless SIM use mode. The notebook personal computer 1b set to the contactless SIM use mode can recognize the smartphone 1a set to the contactless SIM emulation mode as a contactless SIM 2, and can access the wireless network using the information stored in the contact SIM 11 inserted inside the smartphone 1a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Mobile devices 10. Short-range wireless communication controller 11 Contact SIM 130 Contactless SIM method 2 Contactless SIM

Claims

1. a short-range wireless communication controller for controlling the short-range wireless communication; a contactless SIM means for setting an operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller to an operation mode corresponding to the terminal mode when a terminal mode related to the contactless SIM is set, and causing the short-range wireless communication controller to execute a process corresponding to the terminal mode; The short-range wireless communication controller corresponds to a reader / writer mode which is an operation mode in which the short-range wireless communication controller operates as a reader / writer of a non-contact communication medium, When the contactless SIM means is set to a terminal mode for adding a contactless SIM, it sets the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller to a reader / writer mode, and causes the short-range wireless communication controller to execute a process for searching for a contactless SIM and a process for establishing a communication link with the searched contactless SIM as processes corresponding to the terminal mode. A mobile terminal characterized by:

2. Equipped with a contact SIM, The short-range wireless communication controller corresponds to a card emulation mode in which the short-range wireless communication controller acts as a contactless communication medium corresponding to the short-range wireless communication; When the contactless SIM means is set to a terminal mode in which it behaves as a contactless SIM, it sets the operation mode of the short-range wireless communication controller to a card emulation mode, and causes the short-range wireless communication controller to execute a process of contact communication with a contact-type SIM inserted inside the smart device as a process corresponding to the terminal mode.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 .

3. A step of receiving a setting of a terminal mode for adding a contactless SIM as a terminal mode related to the contactless SIM by the mobile terminal; A step of setting a reader / writer mode in which the mobile terminal operates as a reader / writer of a non-contact communication medium as an operation mode of a short-range wireless communication controller that controls short-range wireless communication; A step of causing the mobile terminal to cause the short-range wireless communication controller to execute a process of searching for a contactless SIM; A step of causing the short-range wireless communication controller to execute a process of establishing a communication link with the searched contactless SIM by the mobile terminal; 11. A method for adding a contactless SIM, comprising:

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