IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,603,671
Granted Patent B2
US 12,603,671 · App. 18/567,261 · Granted Apr 14, 2026

SIM card communication circuit, related apparatus, and control method

Inventor: Ting Huang (Shenzhen, CN)
Assignee: HONOR DEVICE CO., LTD.
H04B1/3818H04B1/401H04W8/205H04W52/028H04W88/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,603,671
App. No.
18/567,261
Granted
Apr 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of this application provide a SIM card communication circuit, a related apparatus, and a control method. The circuit includes a processor, a switch unit, a first card slot, and an ESIM chip. An input terminal, a first output terminal, and a second output terminal of the switch unit are respectively connected to the processor, the first card slot, and the ESIM chip. The processor is configured to control the switch unit to choose to connect to the first card slot when receiving a first message; or the processor is configured to control the switch unit to be connected to the ESIM chip when receiving a second message. In this way, multiplexing of a SIM interface is realized through the switch unit, which can realize both communication of an ESIM card and communication of a physical SIM card.

Claims (73)

1 . A subscriber identity module (SIM) card communication circuit, comprising:

a controller;

a switch;

a first card slot;

a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor; and

an embedded SIM (ESIM) chip;

wherein the controller is connected to an input terminal of the switch, and a first output terminal and a second output terminal of the switch are respectively connected to the first card slot and the ESIM chip;

wherein the controller is configured to:

control the switch to choose to connect to a first physical SIM card in the first card slot when receiving a first message; and

control the switch to be connected to the ESIM chip when receiving a second message, to implement connection between the controller and the ESIM chip;

wherein the MOS transistor is located between the switch and the ESIM chip; and

wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the MOS transistor to be turned on when receiving the first message, so that the ESIM chip is maintained at a low level; or

control the MOS transistor to be turned off when receiving the second message.

2 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a first port, a second port, and a third port, the first port is configured to transmit a data (DATA) signal, the second port is configured to transmit a reset (RST) signal, and the third port is configured to transmit a clock (CLK) signal;

wherein the input terminal of the switch comprises a fourth port, a fifth port, and a sixth port, the first output terminal of the switch comprises a seventh port, an eighth port, and a ninth port, the second output terminal of the switch comprises a tenth port, an eleventh port, and a twelfth port;

wherein the first card slot comprises a thirteenth port, a fourteenth port, and a fifteenth port;

wherein the ESIM chip comprises a sixteenth port, a seventeenth port, and an eighteenth port; and

wherein the first port, the second port, and the third port are respectively connected to the fourth port, the fifth port, and the sixth port, the seventh port, the eighth port, and the ninth port are respectively connected to the thirteenth port, the fourteenth port, and the fifteenth port, and the tenth port, the eleventh port, and the twelfth port are respectively connected to the sixteenth port, the seventeenth port, and the eighteenth port.

3 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the fourth port, the fifth port, and the sixth port to be connected to the seventh port, the eighth port, and the ninth port respectively when receiving the first message, to implement connection between the controller and the first physical SIM card in the first card slot; or

control the fourth port, the fifth port, and the sixth port to be connected to the tenth port, the eleventh port, and the twelfth port respectively when receiving the second message, to implement connection between the controller and the ESIM chip.

4 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the switch comprises a first switch, the first switch comprises the fourth port, the fifth port, the sixth port, the seventh port, the eighth port, the ninth port, the tenth port, the eleventh port, and the twelfth port.

5 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the switch comprises a second switch and a third switch, the second switch comprises the fourth port, the fifth port, the seventh port, the eighth port, the tenth port, and the eleventh port, and the third switch comprises the sixth port, the ninth port, and the twelfth port.

6 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the MOS transistor is located between the twelfth port and the eighteenth port.

7 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a near field communication (NFC) chip, wherein the ESIM chip and the NFC chip are integrated together.

8 . A terminal device, comprising a subscriber identity module (SIM) card communication circuit, comprising:

a controller;

a switch;

a first card slot;

a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor; and

an embedded SIM (ESIM) chip;

wherein the controller is connected to an input terminal of the switch, and a first output terminal and a second output terminal of the switch are respectively connected to the first card slot and the ESIM chip;

wherein the controller is configured to:

control the switch to choose to connect to a first physical SIM card in the first card slot when receiving a first message; and

control the switch to be connected to the ESIM chip when receiving a second message, to implement connection between the controller and the ESIM chip;

wherein the MOS transistor is located between the switch and the ESIM chip; and

wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the MOS transistor to be turned on when receiving the first message, so that the ESIM chip is maintained at a low level; or

control the MOS transistor to be turned off when receiving the second message.

9 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a first level conversion apparatus, wherein the first level conversion apparatus is located between the controller and the first card slot.

10 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a second card slot, wherein the second card slot is connected to the controller.

11 . An electronic, device comprising a subscriber identity module (SIM) card communication circuit, comprising:

a controller;

a switch;

a first card slot; and

an embedded SIM (ESIM) chip;

wherein the controller is connected to an input terminal of the switch, and a first output terminal and a second output terminal of the switch are respectively connected to the first card slot and the ESIM chip;

wherein the controller is configured to:

control the switch to choose to connect to a first physical SIM card in the first card slot when receiving a first message; and

control the switch to be connected to the ESIM chip when receiving a second message, to implement connection between the controller and the ESIM chip; and

wherein the switch further comprises a nineteenth port, a twentieth port, and a twenty-first port, the nineteenth port is connected to a twelfth port, the twentieth port is grounded, and the twenty-first port is open-circuited, and the twelfth port is used to transmit a clock (CLK) signal to the ESIM chip.

12 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the controller comprises a first port, a second port, and a third port, the first port is configured to transmit a data (DATA) signal, the second port is configured to transmit a reset (RST) signal, and the third port is configured to transmit the CLK signal;

wherein the input terminal of the switch comprises a fourth port, a fifth port, and a sixth port, the first output terminal of the switch comprises a seventh port, an eighth port, and a ninth port, the second output terminal of the switch comprises a tenth port, an eleventh port, and a twelfth port;

wherein the first card slot comprises a thirteenth port, a fourteenth port, and a fifteenth port;

wherein the ESIM chip comprises a sixteenth port, a seventeenth port, and an eighteenth port;

wherein the first port, the second port, and the third port are respectively connected to the fourth port, the fifth port, and the sixth port, the seventh port, the eighth port, and the ninth port are respectively connected to the thirteenth port, the fourteenth port, and the fifteenth port, and the tenth port, the eleventh port, and the twelfth port are respectively connected to the sixteenth port, the seventeenth port, and the eighteenth port.

13 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the fourth port, the fifth port, the sixth port, and the nineteenth port to be connected to the seventh port, the eighth port, the ninth port, and twentieth port respectively when receiving the first message, to implement connection between the controller and the first physical SIM card in the first card slot; or

control the fourth port, the fifth port, the sixth port, and the nineteenth port to be connected to the tenth port, the eleventh port, the twelfth port, and the twenty-first port respectively when receiving the second message, to implement connection between the controller and the ESIM chip.

14 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 12 , wherein the switch comprises a first switch, and the first switch comprises the fourth port, the fifth port, the sixth port, the seventh port, the eighth port, the ninth port, the tenth port, the eleventh port, the twelfth port, the nineteenth port, the twentieth port, and the twenty-first port.

15 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 12 , wherein the switch comprises a second switch and a third switch, the second switch comprises the fourth port, the fifth port, the seventh port, the eighth port, the tenth port, and the eleventh port, and the third switch comprises the sixth port, the ninth port, the twelfth port, the nineteenth port, the twentieth port, and the twenty-first port.

16 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 11 , further comprising a near field communication (NFC) chip, wherein the ESIM chip and the NFC chip are integrated together.

17 . The SIM card communication circuit according to claim 11 , further comprising a second card slot, wherein the second card slot comprises a twenty-second port, a twenty-third port, and a twenty-fourth port;

wherein the controller further comprises a twenty-fifth port, a twenty-sixth port, and a twenty-seventh port, the twenty-fifth port is configured to transmit a (DATA) signal, the twenty-sixth port is configured to transmit an reset (RST) signal, and the twenty-seventh port is configured to transmit the CLK signal; and

wherein the twenty-fifth port, the twenty-sixth port and the twenty-seventh port are respectively connected to the twenty-second port, the twenty-third port, and the twenty-fourth port, to implement connection between the controller and a second physical SIM card in the second card slot.

18 . A subscriber identity module (SIM) card control method, comprising:

receiving, by a controller of a SIM card communication circuit, first information for indicating selection of a first physical SIM card in a first card slot, and controlling, by the controller, a switch of the SIM card communication circuit to choose to connect to the first physical SIM card in the first card slot based on the first information; or

receiving, by the controller, second information for indicating selection of an embedded SIM (ESIM) chip, and controlling, by the controller, the switch to choose to connect to the ESIM chip based on the second information; and

wherein the controller is connected to an input terminal of the switch, and a first output terminal and a second output terminal of the switch are respectively connected to the first card slot and the ESIM chip.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , further comprising:

controlling, by the controller, a MOS transistor of the SIM card communication circuit to be turned on based on the first information; or

controlling, by the controller, the MOS transistor to be turned off based on the second information.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 17, 2024
From: HUANG, TING
To: HONOR DEVICE CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066148/0834 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202210818821.0 · Jul 13, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250088209A1 · Mar 13, 2025
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