Mobile terminal and method of indentifying SIM card thereof

• US 20090156258A1
• Filed: 12/13/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spreadtrum Communications USA
• Original Assignee: Spreadtrum Communications USA
• Inventors: Yang, Wuding
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of indentifying SIM card of a mobile terminal supports at least two SIM cards and comprises a power supply module and a power management module, wherein the power management module has different preset reference voltages and supplies power to the SIM cards respectively according to a comparison result of the reference voltages and operating voltages of the SIM cards. Via the preset reference voltages to the power management module, when the SIM card is inserted into the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal control the power supply module to supply power to the SIM cards, and the power management module determines whether the reference voltage matches the operating voltage of the SIM card, according to the comparison of the reference voltage and the operating voltage of the SIM card, so as to determine whether the SIM card can be indentified.

Claims

1. A method of indentifying SIM card of a mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal supports at least two SIM cards and comprises a power supply module and a power management module, wherein the power management module has different preset reference voltages and supplies power to the SIM card according to a comparison result of the reference voltage and operating voltage of the SIM card.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the power management module presets a first reference voltage, a second reference voltage and a third reference voltage, wherein the second reference voltage is more than the first and less than the third, wherein the power management module control the power supply module to supply power respectively according to an order from the first reference voltage to the second reference voltage and to the third reference voltage to the SIM card, so as to identify the operating voltages of the SIM card.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, comprising steps of:

(S1) the power management module controlling the power supply module to supply power with the first reference voltage, and if the mobile terminal responds, comparing the first reference voltage with the operating voltage of the SIM card, or go to S2;

(S2) the power management module controlling the power supply module to increase power to the second reference voltage, and if the mobile terminal responds, comparing the second reference voltage with the operating voltage of the SIM card, or go to S3;

(S3) the power management module controlling the power supply module to increase power to the third reference voltage, and if the mobile terminal responds, comparing the third reference voltage with the operating voltage of the SIM card, or prompt that the SIM card cannot be indentified.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the steps of S1, S2 and S3 further comprise a step of reading information of the SIM card and analyze the operating voltage of the SIM card.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the steps of S1, S2 and S3 further comprise a steps of determining whether the reference voltage is consistent with the operating voltage of the SIM card, wherein when they are consistent, supply the reference voltage to the SIM cards, or the power management module controls the power supply module to increase the power supply to another reference voltage higher than the reference voltage.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the first reference voltage is 1.8V, the second reference voltage is 3V, and the third reference voltage is 5V.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the operating voltage of the SIM card is the best operating voltage.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the operating voltage is 1.8V, 3V or 5V.

9. A mobile terminal, comprising a power supply module supplying power to at least two SIM cards, and a power management module for indentifying the SIM card according to claim 1.

10. The mobile terminal, as recited in claim 9, wherein any SIM card supports GSM, GPRS, CDMA, WCDMA, or PHS technique.

11. A method of indentifying an operating voltage of a SIM card of a mobile terminal, comprising steps of:

(a) presetting a plurality of different reference voltages to a power management module of a mobile terminal,

(b) supplying a power supply of the lowest reference voltage of the plurality of reference voltages to the SIM card firstly,

(c) when the mobile phone responds, determining whether the operating voltage of the SIM card equals to the present reference voltage, wherein when the operating voltage of the SIM card equals to the present reference voltage, the SIM card is successfully identified,

(d) when the mobile phone does not respond, or the operating voltage of the SIM card does not equal to the present reference voltage, increasing the power supply to a reference voltage of the plurality of reference voltages higher than the present reference voltage to the SIM card, and proceeding step (c) and (d) repeatedly, and

(e) when the mobile phone does not respond to the highest reference voltage of the plurality of reference voltages, prompting that the SIM card cannot be identified.