Cloud SIM card providing apparatus and terminal networking device

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of communications. Mainly provided are a cloud SIM card providing apparatus and a terminal networking device. A cloud SIM card allocated by a cloud server is acquired by means of a communication module, and the cloud SIM card is placed in a cloud SIM card placement module, such that a terminal networking device can read cloud SIM card information, and then perform registration and access to the Internet by means of the cloud SIM card. The cloud SIM card providing apparatus of the present application is further provided with a power source management module comprising a power adjustment module and a battery, such that power is drawn from a SIM card interface of a terminal networking device without additional external power supply, and long-time stable operation can be achieved without charging performed by a user, thereby avoiding maintenance performed by the user. In addition, the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device may not be overloaded and powered down due to a high current of a communication module. Moreover, the cloud SIM card providing apparatus in the present application is compatible with terminal networking devices having different types of interfaces, and has the characteristics of wider application range and strong compatibility.

Description

A cloud SIM card providing device and terminal networking equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510122433.2, filed on January 26, 2025, entitled "A Cloud SIM Card Providing Device and Terminal Networking Equipment", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application belongs to the field of communication technology, and in particular relates to a cloud SIM card providing device and a terminal networking device. Background Technology

[0003] A cloud SIM card is a new type of SIM card. Unlike traditional physical SIM cards, it stores the user's phone number in the cloud and communicates with connected devices via a network connection. The core advantage of a cloud SIM card is its support for multiple network operators, eliminating the need for users to change physical SIM cards to use different operators' networks. Users can also temporarily choose different local operators while traveling, avoiding the high costs of international roaming.

[0004] However, for terminal network devices that do not have a communication module for accessing the Internet using a cloud SIM card, the cloud SIM card cannot be used to access the Internet, thus limiting its usage. Technical issues

[0005] This application provides a cloud SIM card providing device and a terminal networking device, which can solve the technical problem that terminal networking devices without a communication module for cloud SIM card internet access cannot use cloud SIM card for internet access. Technical solutions

[0006] The first aspect of this application provides a cloud SIM card providing device, which includes: a communication module, a cloud SIM card placement module, and a power management module;

[0007] The communication module has a built-in SIM card for communicating with the cloud server and obtaining cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server.

[0008] The cloud SIM card placement module is used to receive the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card sent by the communication module, and enable the terminal network device to register and access the Internet based on the SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card;

[0009] The power management module includes a power regulation module and a battery connected to the power regulation module; the power regulation module draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal network device to charge the battery, and adjusts the charging power of the battery based on the load capacity of the SIM card interface of the terminal network device.

[0010] The battery is used to power the communication module, and the cloud SIM card placement module draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal network device.

[0011] In one embodiment, the cloud SIM card providing device further includes a first interface and an interface conversion module; the first interface is connected to the cloud SIM card placement module and the power adjustment module; the interface conversion module is used to establish a physical connection path between the first interface and the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device.

[0012] In one embodiment, the interface conversion module includes a second interface and a third interface; the second interface is adapted to the first interface of the cloud SIM card providing device, and the third interface is adapted to the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first interface, the second interface, and the third interface are ISO / IEC 7816 protocol interfaces.

[0014] In one embodiment, the cloud SIM card placement module is used to dynamically receive cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server via the communication module.

[0015] In one embodiment, the power management module further includes a voltage conversion unit connected to the power regulation module and the first interface, for converting the voltage output by the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device into the charging voltage required by the battery.

[0016] In one embodiment, the power regulation module is used to adjust the charging current of the battery by configuring the resistance value of the resistor, so as to adjust the charging power of the battery.

[0017] In one embodiment, the communication module supports at least two communication units.

[0018] In one embodiment, the communication module includes a first communication unit and a second communication unit; the first communication unit is used to communicate with the cloud server based on the built-in SIM card and obtain cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server; the second communication unit is used to provide a channel for the terminal network device to register for Internet access based on the cloud SIM card.

[0019] A second aspect of this application also provides a terminal networking device, the terminal networking device including a SIM card interface, the SIM card interface being used to connect to any of the cloud SIM card providing devices described above, and enabling the terminal networking device to register for internet access based on the SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card received by the cloud SIM card providing device.

[0020] The cloud SIM card providing device provided in this application communicates with a cloud server through a SIM card built into the communication module to obtain a cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server. The cloud SIM card (i.e., the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card, not the physical card) is placed in a cloud SIM card placement module, enabling the terminal network device to read the cloud SIM card information and register for internet access through the cloud SIM card. This allows the terminal network device, which does not have a communication module for cloud SIM card internet access, to access the internet using the cloud SIM card based on the communication module and cloud SIM card placement module of the cloud SIM card providing device. This solves the technical problem that terminal network devices without a communication module for cloud SIM card internet access cannot access the internet using the cloud SIM card.

[0021] Furthermore, the cloud SIM card providing device of this application also includes a power management module comprising a power adjustment module and a battery. The power adjustment module draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal network device to charge the battery, enabling the battery to provide the large current required for the communication module during power-on, network search, and cloud SIM card authentication. Simultaneously, the power adjustment module adjusts the charging power to the battery based on the load capacity of the terminal network device's SIM card interface, preventing the SIM card interface from overloading and losing power due to the large current draw from the communication module. The cloud SIM card providing device provided in this embodiment of the application, based on this power management module, draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal network device, requiring no additional external power supply or user charging, and features small size and easy installation. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cloud SIM card providing device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 2 is a first structural schematic diagram of the cloud SIM card providing system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the service cycle of the communication module provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the cloud SIM card providing system provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0026] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the third structure of the cloud SIM card providing system provided in the embodiments of this application. Embodiments of the present invention

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0028] A cloud SIM card is a new type of SIM card. Unlike traditional physical SIM cards, it stores the user's phone number in the cloud and communicates with connected devices via a network connection. The core advantage of a cloud SIM card is its support for multiple network operators, eliminating the need for users to change physical SIM cards to use different operators' networks. Users can also temporarily choose different local operators while traveling, avoiding the high costs of international roaming.

[0029] However, for terminal network devices that do not have a communication module for accessing the Internet using a cloud SIM card, the cloud SIM card cannot be used to access the Internet, thus limiting its usage.

[0030] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a cloud SIM card providing device and a terminal networking device, which can solve the technical problem that terminal networking devices without a communication module for cloud SIM card internet access cannot use cloud SIM card for internet access.

[0031] To better illustrate the technical solution of this application, examples are provided below.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cloud SIM card providing device 100 provided in this application embodiment may include: a communication module 110, a cloud SIM card placement module 120, and a power management module 130.

[0033] The communication module 110 has a built-in SIM card for communicating with the cloud server 200 and obtaining the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server 200.

[0034] The cloud SIM card placement module 120 is used to receive the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card sent by the communication module 110, and enable the terminal network device 300 to register and access the Internet based on the SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card.

[0035] The power management module 130 includes a power regulation module 131 and a battery 132 connected to the power regulation module 131. The power regulation module 131 draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device 300 to charge the battery 132, and adjusts the charging power of the battery based on the load capacity of the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device 300. The battery 132 is used to power the communication module, and the cloud SIM card placement module 120 draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device 300.

[0036] In one embodiment of this application, the SIM card built into the communication module 110 can be a pluggable card, a patch card, a virtual SIM card (VSIM card), or an electronic SIN card (ESIM card) for network registration of the communication module 110. Furthermore, when the cloud SIM card providing device needs to be used globally, the SIM card built into the communication module 110 can also be a global SIM card.

[0037] The cloud SIM card providing device provided in this application communicates with a cloud server through a SIM card built into the communication module to obtain a cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server. The cloud SIM card (i.e., the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card, not the physical card) is placed in a cloud SIM card placement module, enabling the terminal network device to read the cloud SIM card information and register for internet access through the cloud SIM card. This allows the terminal network device, which does not have a communication module for internet access via cloud SIM card, to access the internet using the cloud SIM card based on the communication module and cloud SIM card placement module of the cloud SIM card providing device. This solves the technical problem that terminal network devices without a communication module for internet access via cloud SIM card cannot access the internet using cloud SIM card.

[0038] Furthermore, the cloud SIM card providing device of this application also includes a power management module comprising a power adjustment module and a battery. The power adjustment module draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal network device to charge the battery, enabling the battery to provide the large current required for the communication module during power-on, network search, and cloud SIM card authentication. Simultaneously, the power adjustment module adjusts the charging power to the battery based on the load capacity of the terminal network device's SIM card interface, preventing the SIM card interface from overloading and losing power due to the large current draw from the communication module. The cloud SIM card providing device provided in this embodiment of the application, based on this power management module, draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal network device, requiring no additional external power supply or user charging, and features small size and easy installation.

[0039] In one embodiment, the power regulation module can adjust the charging current of the battery by configuring the resistance value of the resistor, thereby adjusting the charging power of the battery so that the SIM card interface of the terminal network device will not be overloaded and lose power due to the large current of the communication module.

[0040] In one embodiment of this application, the power regulation module can adjust the charging current of the battery to 18mA or less by configuring the resistance value of the resistor.

[0041] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, which illustrates the service cycle of the communication module, after powering on, the module sequentially performs network search, cloud SIM card retrieval, and cloud SIM card authentication to acquire the cloud SIM card. It then enters standby mode and, based on a detected network switching request, returns to the steps of network search (network switching), cloud SIM card retrieval, and cloud SIM card authentication to enable switching between different cloud SIM cards. During this process, the daily energy consumption of the communication module mainly includes power consumption for network switching / authentication and standby power consumption. Each network switching / authentication session lasts approximately 25 seconds, with an average current of about 200mA, consuming 200mA*25s / 3600s / 24H=0.055mAh. Assuming 24 network switching / authentication sessions per day, the total daily power consumption for network switching / authentication is 0.055mAh*24=1.32mAh. The standby power consumption of the communication module is 4mA*24h=96mAh. Therefore, the total daily energy consumption of the communication module is approximately 1.32mAh + 96mAh = 97.32mAh.

[0042] When the power regulation module adjusts the charging current of the battery to 18mA, the battery's power supply capacity is 18mA*24H=432mAh, which is greater than the total daily power consumption of the communication module (97.32mAh). Furthermore, tests on mobile phones, tablets, and other connected devices show that controlling the charging current of the power regulation module at 18mA does not cause abnormal power supply to the SIM card interface of the connected devices. Therefore, adjusting the charging current of the battery to 18mA prevents the connected devices from overloading and losing power due to the high current of the communication module, while continuously providing a small current to the cloud SIM card provider. This allows the cloud SIM card provider to draw power from the SIM card interface of the connected devices, enabling long-term stable operation without additional external power supply or user charging, eliminating user maintenance. Moreover, it allows the power management module of the cloud SIM card provider to use a small-capacity battery, resulting in a compact device.

[0043] In order to make the cloud SIM card providing device compatible with terminal networking devices with different interface types, and to make it more widely applicable and more compatible, in one embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG4, the cloud SIM card providing device may also be provided with a first interface 150 and an interface conversion module 140; the first interface 150 is connected to the cloud SIM card placement module 120 and the power adjustment module 131; the interface conversion module is used to establish a physical connection path between the first interface 150 of the cloud SIM card providing device and the SIM card interface 310 of the terminal networking device 300.

[0044] Specifically, the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device 300 can be of various types, such as full-size SIM card (1FF), Mini-SIM card (2FF), Micro-SIM card (3FF), Nano-SIM card (4FF), etc. In order to make the cloud SIM card providing device 100 compatible with terminal networking devices with different types of SIM card interfaces, a physical connection path can be established between the first interface 150 of the cloud SIM card providing device and the SIM card interface 310 of the terminal networking device 300 through an interface conversion module. That is, the first interface 150 of the cloud SIM card providing device and the SIM card interface 310 of the terminal networking device 300 are physically connected by cable.

[0045] In one embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG4, the interface conversion module includes a second interface 141 and a third interface 142. The second interface is adapted to the first interface 150 of the cloud SIM card providing device, and the third interface 142 is adapted to the SIM card interface 310 of the terminal networking device 300.

[0046] In practical applications, in order to make the cloud SIM card providing device 100 compatible with terminal networking devices with different types of SIM card interfaces, the third interface 142 of the interface conversion module can include multiple sub-interfaces, which are physically connected to different SIM card interfaces 310 of different terminal networking devices 300 respectively.

[0047] In a practical application, the interface conversion module can also be a customized adapter cable for the first interface of the terminal network device SIM card interface and the cloud SIM card providing device. This application does not limit the specific structure of the interface conversion module.

[0048] In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the third interface 142 can also be made into the shape of a SIM card, so that when it is connected to the SIM card interface 310 of the terminal network device, it can better simulate the effect of the terminal network device having a SIM card inserted.

[0049] For example, the third interface 142 can be designed in size according to the form of the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device on the market, such as full-size SIM card (1FF), Mini-SIM card (2FF), Micro-SIM card (3FF), Nano-SIM card (4FF), to meet the requirements of SIM card insertion, removal and contact. The third interface 142 can also be customized according to the special SIM card interface of the terminal networking device to adapt to various types of terminal networking devices.

[0050] In one embodiment of this application, the first interface 150, the second interface 141, and the third interface 142 may be ISO / IEC 7816 protocol interfaces.

[0051] ISO and IEC are global standard-setting organizations. In the field of information technology, ISO / IEC JTC1 has developed the ISO / IEC 7816 series of standards. ISO / IEC 7816-3 specifies the electrical interface and transmission protocol for contact cards. The electrical characteristics of a SIM card include interface definition, power supply, signal structure, and information exchange. The interface includes C1 (VCC) power supply, C2 (RST) reset signal, C3 (CLK) clock signal, C5 (GND) ground, C6 (SPU) standard or auto-defined usage, and C7 (I / O) serial input / output data. The power requirements, signal characteristics, voltage levels, current values, parity conventions, operating procedures, and transmission mechanisms under normal operating conditions are all described in detail in the protocol.

[0052] In this embodiment, since the third interface 142 is adapted to the SIM card interface 310 of the terminal networking device 300, when the third interface 142 is connected to the SIM card interface 310 of the terminal networking device, it can simulate that the terminal networking device has inserted a SIM card. Therefore, the first interface, the second interface and the third interface can draw power from the VCC pin of the SIM card interface 310 of the terminal networking device, and the terminal networking device can register for Internet access based on the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card received by the cloud SIM card providing device.

[0053] In one embodiment of this application, the cloud SIM card placement module 120 is also used to dynamically receive cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server via the communication module, so that in application scenarios where the cloud SIM card needs to be switched frequently, the terminal network device can realize timely switching of the cloud SIM card.

[0054] For example, personnel working in some ports may need to switch between different cloud SIM cards to meet their communication needs when using their network-connected devices. In this case, the cloud SIM card placement module 120 of this application can dynamically receive the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server, thereby realizing dynamic switching of the cloud SIM card. That is, each time the cloud server allocates a new cloud SIM card to the network-connected device, the device can switch to the new cloud SIM card in real time and use it to register and access the internet, enabling frequent switching of the cloud SIM card.

[0055] In practical applications, when the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device is an ISO / IEC 7816 protocol interface, the voltage provided by its VCC pin includes three types: 5V, 3V, and 1.8V. Since the voltage used by the power regulation module to charge the battery is generally 5V, in one embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG5, the power management module may further include a voltage conversion unit 133 connected to the power regulation module 131 and the first interface 150, for converting the voltage output by the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device into the charging voltage required by the battery.

[0056] In practical applications, when the voltage output by the VCC pin of the SIM card interface of the terminal network device is 5V, the voltage conversion unit can directly output the 5V voltage to the power regulation module. When the voltage output by the VCC pin of the SIM card interface of the terminal network device is 3V or 1.8V, the voltage conversion unit will boost the voltage to 5V and then output it to the power regulation module.

[0057] In one embodiment of this application, the communication module 110 in the above embodiments supports at least two communication units. That is, it supports two or more communication channels. One channel is used for the SIM card built into the communication module 110 to access the network, download cloud SIM card information, remotely authenticate the cloud SIM card, etc.; another channel is used to allow terminal networking devices connected to the cloud SIM card providing device to access the corresponding cloud SIM card network after the cloud SIM card information is downloaded to the communication module 110.

[0058] In one embodiment of this application, the communication module 110 in the above embodiments can be a cellular communication module, including two or more communication units, capable of enabling dual-SIM simultaneous online standby. For example, the communication module 110 can be a cellular communication module including a first communication unit and a second communication unit; the first communication unit is used to communicate with the cloud server based on the built-in SIM card and obtain the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server; the second communication unit is used to provide a channel for terminal network devices to register for Internet access based on the cloud SIM card.

[0059] Specifically, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, battery 132 supplies power to communication module 110, providing the peak current required for power-on. After power-on, communication module 110 first registers and connects with the cloud server through its built-in, typically global, SIM card. After successfully connecting to cloud server 200, cloud server 200 communicates with cloud SIM card carrier device 210 and allocates the cloud SIM card in cloud SIM card carrier device 210 to communication module 110 according to the set strategy. After receiving the cloud SIM card, communication module 110 places the cloud SIM card (i.e., the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card) into cloud SIM card placement module 120 to complete the scheduling of cloud SIM card. At the same time, cloud SIM card placement module 120 communicates with the SIM card interface of terminal network device through the first interface, enabling terminal network device 300 to read cloud SIM information and register for internet access through the cloud SIM card via the second communication unit of communication module 110.

[0060] This application also provides a terminal networking device. This terminal networking device can be a terminal that needs to access the internet using the cloud SIM card providing device in any of the above embodiments. For example, the terminal networking device can be a smart device such as a mobile phone or tablet computer, or a smart home device such as an air conditioner or refrigerator. This application does not limit the specific type of terminal networking device. The terminal networking device includes a SIM card interface for connecting to the cloud SIM card providing device, and enables the terminal networking device to register for internet access based on the SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card received by the cloud SIM card providing device.

[0061] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-mentioned division of functional units and modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed. In addition, the specific names of each functional unit and module are only for the purpose of distinguishing them from each other and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0062] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0063] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A cloud SIM card providing device, characterized in that, The cloud SIM card providing device includes: a communication module, a cloud SIM card placement module, and a power management module; The communication module has a built-in SIM card for communicating with the cloud server and obtaining cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server. The cloud SIM card placement module is used to receive the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card sent by the communication module, and enable the terminal network device to register and access the Internet based on the SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card; The power management module includes a power regulation module and a battery connected to the power regulation module; the power regulation module draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal network device to charge the battery, and adjusts the charging power of the battery based on the load capacity of the SIM card interface of the terminal network device. The battery is used to power the communication module, and the cloud SIM card placement module draws power from the SIM card interface of the terminal network device.

2. The cloud SIM card providing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cloud SIM card providing device further includes a first interface and an interface conversion module; the first interface is connected to the cloud SIM card placement module and the power adjustment module; the interface conversion module is used to establish a physical connection path between the first interface and the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device.

3. The cloud SIM card providing device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The interface conversion module includes a second interface and a third interface; The second interface is adapted to the first interface of the cloud SIM card providing device, and the third interface is adapted to the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device.

4. The cloud SIM card providing device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first, second, and third interfaces are ISO / IEC 7816 protocol interfaces.

5. The cloud SIM card providing device as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The cloud SIM card placement module is used to dynamically receive cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server via the communication module.

6. The cloud SIM card providing device as described in any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The power management module further includes a voltage conversion unit, which is connected to the power regulation module and the first interface, and is used to convert the voltage output by the SIM card interface of the terminal networking device into the charging voltage required by the battery.

7. The cloud SIM card providing device as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The power regulation module is used to adjust the charging current of the battery by configuring the resistance value of the resistor, so as to adjust the charging power of the battery.

8. The cloud SIM card providing device as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The communication module supports at least two communication units.

9. The cloud SIM card providing device as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The communication module includes a first communication unit and a second communication unit; The first communication unit is used to communicate with the cloud server based on the built-in SIM card and to obtain the cloud SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card allocated by the cloud server; The second communication unit is used to provide a channel for the terminal network device to register for Internet access based on the cloud SIM card.

10. A terminal networking device, characterized in that, The terminal networking device includes a SIM card interface, which is used to connect to the cloud SIM card providing device according to any one of claims 1-9, and enable the terminal networking device to register for Internet access based on the SIM card information corresponding to the cloud SIM card received by the cloud SIM card providing device.

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