CN111556487B

CN111556487B - SIM card air transmission system based on hybrid protocol and working method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN111556487B
Application number: CN202010666394.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金辉; 刘一帆
Original assignee: Shenzhen Jieruilian Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Jieruilian Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-07-13
Filing date: 2020-07-13
Publication date: 2020-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2040-07-13
Also published as: CN111556487A

Abstract

A SIM card air transmission system based on mixed protocol and its working method, including OTI service module and at least one message passing agent module; the OTI service module is used for receiving the message sent by the network application layer protocol and then sending out the corresponding message based on the network application layer protocol; the message transmission agent module is used for receiving the message based on the network application layer protocol sent by the OTI service module and issuing the message to the subscribed corresponding Internet of things equipment; and/or the message transfer agent module is used for receiving messages sent by subscribed internet of things equipment and then sending corresponding messages to the OTI service module based on a network application layer protocol. The application adopts a non-OTA protocol, which can eliminate the dependence on the telecom operator in the aspect of short message service and greatly save the cost.

Description

SIM card air transmission system based on hybrid protocol and working method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to a SIM card air transmission system based on a hybrid protocol and a working method thereof.

Background

The eSIM technology is a technology for replacing a conventional SIM card, which is gradually emerging in recent years, and the international telecommunication union (GSMA) has dominated the standard establishment of the eSIM technology system in recent years, and more SIM cards and equipment manufacturers are closing to the technology internationally or domestically. In the originally designed eSIM card aerial delivery technology system, the downloading flow and specification of card data and application (corresponding to the english term Profile in the field) are emphasized, and the problems of how to efficiently complete the initial network connection between the eSIM card and the server side and how to manage the data in the eSIM card subsequently exist.

Disclosure of Invention

The present application provides a hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system and a working method thereof, which are specifically described below.

According to a first aspect, an embodiment provides a SIM card over-the-air transmission system based on a hybrid protocol, including an OTI service module and at least one message passing agent module;

the OTI service module is used for receiving the message sent by the network application layer protocol and then sending out the corresponding message based on the network application layer protocol;

the message transmission agent module is used for receiving the message based on the network application layer protocol sent by the OTI service module and issuing the message to the subscribed corresponding Internet of things equipment; and/or the message transfer agent module is used for receiving messages sent by subscribed internet of things equipment and then sending corresponding messages to the OTI service module based on a network application layer protocol.

In one embodiment, the OTI service module includes an application program interface and a message module with a message parser built in;

the application program interface is used for receiving messages sent by a network application layer protocol, and the message analyzer is used for analyzing the messages sent by the network application layer protocol;

the message module comprises a synchronous connection module which is used for keeping connection when receiving synchronous messages based on a network application layer protocol so as to receive the synchronous messages; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

the message module comprises a message queue module and a distributor, wherein the message queue module is used for placing the received abnormal messages into a message queue when asynchronous messages based on a network application layer protocol are received, and the distributor is used for distributing the messages in the message queue.

In one embodiment, the OTI service module further includes a cache module and a storage module; the cache module is used for caching the message received by the OTI service module; the storage module is used for storing the messages received by the OTI service module.

In one embodiment, the messaging proxy module comprises an MQTT proxy module; the MQTT agent module can keep long TCP connection with subscribed Internet of things equipment and monitor the condition of the connected Internet of things equipment through a heartbeat mechanism; the MQTT agent module can send and receive MQTT messages.

In one embodiment, when the SIM card air transmission system includes a plurality of MQTT proxy modules, the MQTT proxy modules are connected to each other to form a cluster, and when any MQTT proxy module receives a message, the message is synchronized and stored in the cluster.

In one embodiment, the messaging proxy module comprises a CoAP proxy module.

In one embodiment, the SIM card over-the-air transmission system includes a downlink operating mode;

in the downlink working mode, the OTI service module receives a message sent by a third party based on a network application layer protocol, and then sends a corresponding message to the message transmission agent module based on the network application layer protocol; the message transmission agent module is used for receiving the message based on the network application layer protocol sent by the OTI service module and publishing the message based on the corresponding agent protocol to the subscribed corresponding Internet of things equipment, so that the LPA module in the corresponding Internet of things equipment receives and processes the message, wherein the LPA module is integrated with a client of the corresponding agent protocol message.

In one embodiment, the SIM card over-the-air transmission system includes an uplink operating mode;

in the uplink working mode, the message transfer agent module receives a message based on a corresponding agent protocol sent by an LPA module in subscribed Internet of things equipment, and then sends the message to the OTI service module based on a network application layer protocol; the OTI service module receives a message sent by the message transfer agent module based on a network application layer protocol, and then sends a corresponding message to a third party based on the network application layer protocol; wherein the LPA module is integrated with a client of a corresponding proxy protocol message.

in the uplink working mode, the OTI service module receives a message sent by an LPA (low power access) module of the Internet of things equipment based on a network application layer protocol, and then sends a corresponding message to a third party based on the network application layer protocol.

According to a second aspect, an embodiment provides a working method of the SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to any embodiment herein, where the working method includes a downlink working mode and/or an uplink working mode;

in the downlink working mode, the OTI service module receives a message sent by a third party based on a network application layer protocol, and then sends a corresponding message to the message transmission agent module based on the network application layer protocol; the message transmission agent module is used for receiving the message based on the network application layer protocol sent by the OTI service module and issuing the message based on the corresponding agent protocol to the subscribed corresponding Internet of things equipment so that the message is received and processed by the LPA module in the corresponding Internet of things equipment;

in the uplink working mode, the message transmission agent module receives a message based on a corresponding agent protocol sent by an LPA module in subscribed Internet of things equipment, and then sends the message to the OTI service module based on a network application layer protocol; the OTI service module receives a message sent by the message transfer agent module based on a network application layer protocol, and then sends a corresponding message to a third party based on the network application layer protocol; and/or in the uplink working mode, the OTI service module receives a message sent by an LPA (low power access) module of the Internet of things equipment based on a network application layer protocol, and then sends a corresponding message to a third party based on the network application layer protocol;

wherein the LPA module is integrated with a client of a corresponding proxy protocol message.

According to the SIM card air transmission system based on the hybrid protocol and the working method thereof, the non-OTA protocol is adopted, so that the dependence on a telecom operator on the aspect of short message service can be eliminated, and the cost is greatly saved; and can support a plurality of mixed protocols, the final solution can be flexibly selected according to the actual business needs, such as the aspects of message transmission quality, transmission cost, transmission efficiency and the like.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the message push mechanism of Google FCM in one embodiment;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a message pushing mechanism of the APNs in one embodiment;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an eSIM M2M of an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an air transmission system of a SIM card based on a hybrid protocol;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an OTI service module according to an embodiment;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an OTI service module according to another embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a message passing agent module including an MQTT agent module according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of MQTT agent modules constructing a cluster, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a messaging proxy module including a CoAP proxy module, in one embodiment;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to another embodiment;

fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a downlink operation of the hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to an embodiment;

fig. 12 is an example of downlink operation of the hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to an embodiment;

fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an uplink operation performed by the hybrid protocol-based SIM card air transmission system according to an embodiment;

fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an uplink operation performed by the hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to another embodiment;

fig. 15 is an example of uplink operation performed by the hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to an embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of a method of operation of a hybrid protocol based SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to an embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a method of operation of a hybrid protocol based SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to an embodiment;

fig. 18 is a flowchart of an operating method of the hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. Wherein like elements in different embodiments are numbered with like associated elements. In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some of the features may be omitted or replaced with other elements, materials, methods in different instances. In some instances, certain operations related to the present application have not been shown or described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the core of the present application from excessive description, and it is not necessary for those skilled in the art to describe these operations in detail, so that they may be fully understood from the description in the specification and the general knowledge in the art.

Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification may be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. Also, the various steps or actions in the method descriptions may be transposed or transposed in order, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the various sequences in the specification and drawings are for the purpose of describing certain embodiments only and are not intended to imply a required sequence unless otherwise indicated where such sequence must be followed.

The numbering of the components as such, e.g., "first", "second", etc., is used herein only to distinguish the objects as described, and does not have any sequential or technical meaning. The term "connected" and "coupled" when used in this application, unless otherwise indicated, includes both direct and indirect connections (couplings).

The applicant researches the prior related art and firstly makes a simple introduction.

In the prior art, there is an OTA technology based on short message service. Ota (over The air) is a technology for remotely managing SIM card data and applications through an air interface of mobile communication based on a short message mechanism. Based on OTA technology, OTA service can be formed, namely a short message mechanism based, dynamic downloading, deleting and updating of service menu in SIM card can be realized through mobile phone terminal or server (on-line), so that user can obtain data value-added service of personalized information service. The application of OTA technology enables mobile communications to provide not only voice and data services, but also new service downloads. Thus, the application and content service provider can continuously develop more personalized services close to the user requirements without being limited by the platform. Specifically, in a scenario of an application of the SIM card, which may include applications such as a phone book and user authentication, the OTA server downloads data to the SIM of the user mobile device by means of a short message, and the SIM card automatically completes the loading of the data and the installation of the application, and finally completes an action of writing the card over the air.

In the prior art, there are also push technologies and systems proposed by Google, namely Google FCM (Google file cloud Messaging), which is a cross-platform Messaging solution provided by Google corporation and can send messages from a browser console or a trusted application server to client applications such as iOS-side applications, Android-side applications, or web-side applications. Similarly, Apple inc also proposes its own set of Push technologies and systems, i.e., APNs (Apple Push Notification service), for pushing information to Apple devices robustly, securely, and efficiently. Google FCM and APNs are push systems currently used in large scale in the Internet industry, and support over billions of devices, wherein Google FCM is based on HTTP/XMPP protocol, and APNs are based on HTTP/2 protocol.

For example, fig. 1 shows a message pushing mechanism of Google FCM, which is mainly divided into four phases, in phase 1, a message request is constructed in a trusted security environment through a web console, FCM Admin SDK, or FCM service protocol, and then the message request is sent to an FCM backend server. In phase 2, the FCM backend server receives the message and then performs a step-by-step process, such as classifying and saving the original information of the message. In the 3 rd stage, the FCM backend server distributes messages to the following three types of platforms according to classification, one type is message pushing suitable for ATL (Android transport layer of google equipment), one type is message pushing suitable for APNs (Apple Push Notification service) of iOS equipment, and the other type is webpage pushing suitable for network application. In phase 4, the FCMSDK on user settings receives the pushed to message and is presented in front-end or processed in back-end according to the logic of its application.

The APNs are similar to the push mechanism of Google FCM in that they only support iOS devices due to the closed nature of the apple system, and do not accept access with other operating system devices. The simple flow of message pushing is shown in fig. 2, and the client server establishes a channel with higher security for message transmission through strong identity verification with the APNs. The latter half of message transmission is completed by APNs, APNs adopt a storage-and-forwarding strategy to ensure Quality of Service (Quality of Service), ensure that offline equipment can receive messages within a certain time, and simultaneously merge and push messages when the number of messages is excessive, thereby improving the transmission efficiency.

The above describes the Google FCM and APNs respectively proposed by OTA technology based on short message service, Google and apple, and the prior art also has a technical solution based on eSIM M2M.

Based on a scheme of eSIM M2M (Machine to Machine, which is a connection mode of the internet of things and emphasizes that connection between machines does not need human intervention), the scheme is formulated by a GSMA (GSM Association, international telecommunication union, main participants include operators, card merchants, terminal equipment manufacturers and the like, and are responsible for overall technical standard specification and unified coordination in the fields of communication, Profile, core network and the like), and Profile is downloaded to an eUICC card through equal-color coordination of MNO, SM-DP +, SM-SR (subscription management data security routing platform). UICC is an abbreviation of Universal Integrated circuit card, which means a Universal Integrated circuit card, for example, SIM cards for communication, financial bank cards, public transit cards, etc. are all Universal Integrated circuit cards. SIM is an abbreviation of Subscriber Identity Module, which means an Identity authentication Module, and the SIM card mentioned by those skilled in the art is one of the above mentioned integrated circuit cards, and functions to authenticate a legitimate user of the operator network through this Module. eUICC is a further abbreviation derived from embedded UICC, referring to a pluggable or embedded universal integrated circuit card, commonly referred to as eSIM card, that supports remote and local management of Profile in a secure manner. Profile refers to the corresponding data and applications that can be installed and stored in a common SIM card or eUICC card in order to provide certain services. The MNO is an abbreviation of Mobile Network Operator, and means a Mobile Operator, which may be, for example, an Operator in china Mobile, china unicom, overseas various countries, and the like, and is used to provide Mobile Network services including voice, short message, data, and the like to a user. The SM-DP is an abbreviation of Subscription Manager data preparation, and means for subscribing a management data preparation server, and has the main functions of preparing a Profile, safely encrypting, storing and distributing the Profile to a specified EID (eUICC ID, a unique identifier of an eUICC card), and safely issuing the Profile to the eUICC through an LPA by binding an encrypted Profile. The LPA referred to herein is an abbreviation of Local Profile assistant, and means a Local Profile helper, and its functions include assisting Profile download, Profile management (including Profile enable, Profile close, Profile delete, Profile information query), and providing a Profile management interface.

Referring to fig. 3, in the scheme based on eSIM M2M, the implementation of eUICC remote configuration and architecture specifically includes the following roles: MNO, SM-DP, SM-SR, eUICC, EUM (card vendor) and CI (certificate issuer), wherein the remote management platform, which is one of the important aspects in the whole architecture, includes two parts, SM-DP and SM-SR. The SM-DP is mainly responsible for the secure generation and management of the eUICC remote configuration file data, and the SM-SR is mainly responsible for the eUICC remote configuration secure routing and transmission. The whole system ensures safe and reliable remote configuration service routing between an operator MNO and an eUICC through the responsibility positioning of each unit and the interface interconnection between the units. The interface between the units is defined as follows: ES1 is the interface between card merchant EUM and SM-SR, ES2 is the interface between operator MNO and SM-DP, ES3 is the interface between SM-DP and SM-SR, ES4 is the interface between operator MNO and SM-SR, ES7 is the interface between different SM-SRs, these 5 interfaces are collectively called as card external interface. ES5 is the interface between eUICC and SM-SR, ES6 is the interface between eUICC and operator MNO, ES8 is the interface between eUICC and SM-DP, these 3 interfaces are collectively called on-card interfaces. The part of the interface described above that relates to the operator MNO's own flow may not be specified by the standard. In addition, the interfaces between CI and EUM, MNO, SM-DP and SM-SR and the interfaces between EUM and SM-DP mainly relate to the processes of card production, key distribution and the like, and can also not be specified by standards. The role of each interface is mainly described as follows: the ES1 interface is used for registration of the eUICC in the SM-SR; the ES2 interface is used for acquiring personalized data from an MNO, and is used for configuration downloading, installation and activation, deletion of an ISD-P security domain on a card and the like; ES3, ES4, ES5, ES6 and ES8 interfaces for downloading and installing profile data by SM-DP, activating, canceling, deleting, etc. profile data by SM-DP or SM-SR; the ES7 interface is used for SM-SR switching and the like.

The above techniques have some disadvantages, especially when applied to an internet of things device.

The OTA technology based on short message service has high cost of short message, especially when it relates to roaming service. Therefore, if the method is applied to data and application management of the card in the internet of things equipment, a plurality of difficulties are faced; the reason is that the internet of things equipment needs to strive to reduce the cost, the hardware cost is low at present, but if the OTA technology is used, the later operation cost is greatly increased; in addition, the information quantity which can be carried by the short message is limited, and complete application data cannot be transmitted at one time; in addition, the reliability of the OTA technology is not good, and it is impossible to accurately know whether the message is completely communicated, and meanwhile, there are many vulnerabilities in terms of security.

Google FCM and APNs, which are introduced by Google and apple, respectively, have low support on unattended internet of things devices in terms of communication protocols, greatly limit selection on the device Operating System (OS) level, and have low adaptability.

The scheme based on the eSIM M2M relies on Push (Push) of OTA short message service to trigger the first HTTP connection, so the cost is a non-negligible problem; and the subsequent important carrier data Profile is obtained by a Pull (Pull) mode of HTTP request, and the whole process needs a plurality of interactions among units and with the eUICC card.

The application is directed to providing a complete set of solutions, such as connecting an eSIM card with a server, so as to efficiently, safely and robustly process downloading and uplink of data, such as the eSIM card. Specifically, the solution proposed in the present application is directed to achieving at least one of the following objectives: in terms of cost, the short message service is not required to be operated to transmit messages, so that the cost is saved to the maximum extent; in terms of transmission efficiency, it is desirable that the carrying capacity of a once transmittable message satisfies the maximum upper limit of SIM card application data; in the aspect of universality, the method is expected to be suitable for various network environments, and the limitations of equipment hardware and the network environments are broken through; in terms of security, it is desirable to ensure the channel security of messages as well as the integrity of messages. Aiming at the points, the inventor mixes a plurality of network protocol schemes by the combination of the technology and the innovation of the architecture level so as to achieve the aim of efficiently, flexibly, robustly and safely transmitting the SIM card Profile in the air.

Referring to fig. 4, in some embodiments, the present application discloses a hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system, which includes an OTI service module 10 and at least one message transfer agent module 30, which are described in detail below.

The OTI in The OTI service module 10 is an Over The Internet abbreviation, which is a concept that The inventor simulates OTA, The OTI service provided by The OTI service module 10 is an application layer above a TCP layer in a general sense, which is an Internet network, and is used as a main channel for message transmission, and currently supported application layer protocols include HTTP/HTTPs, BIP, and The like. The OTI service is a core service of message delivery, and is responsible for message escaping, distribution, storage and meeting message management requirements, and the OTI does not focus on specific contents of messages, but focuses on "connection" and "delivery".

Therefore, in some embodiments, the OTI service module 10 is configured to receive a message sent based on a network application layer protocol, and send a corresponding message based on the network application layer protocol. Referring to fig. 5 and 6, in some embodiments, the OTI service module 10 includes at least any one or more of the application program interface 11, the message module 13, the cache module 15, and the storage module 17, which will be described in detail below.

The application program interface 11 is used for receiving messages sent based on a network application layer protocol. The application program interface 11 may receive external message requests, including messages sent by the messaging proxy module 30. In some embodiments, the application program interface 11 further has a message parser 11a built therein, the application program interface 11 receives a message sent based on a network application layer protocol, and the message parser 11a parses the message sent based on the network application layer protocol. In some embodiments, the message parser 11a supports parsing various types of web application layer protocols, such as HTTP/HTTPs, BIP, etc., and is an internally defined information or message.

The message module 13 is used to process messages received by the application program interface 11. For example, the message types are classified into synchronous messages and asynchronous messages. In some embodiments, the message module 13 includes a synchronization connection module 13a, and the synchronization connection module 13a is configured to maintain a connection to receive a synchronization message when receiving the synchronization message based on the network application layer protocol; in other words, the synchronization message requires that the synchronization connection module 13a remains connected to the requester for real-time transaction processing, and the connection is not disconnected until the processing is finished. In some embodiments, the message module 13 includes a message queue module 13b and a distributor 13c, the message queue module 13b is configured to, when receiving an asynchronous message based on a network application layer protocol, place the received exception message into a message queue, and the distributor 13c is configured to distribute the message in the message queue; it can be seen that unlike the receipt of synchronous messages, asynchronous messages do not need to remain connected to the requester at all times, and upon receipt of an asynchronous message, the message can be placed in a message queue and subsequently distributed by the distributor 13c to the corresponding recipients.

The cache module 15 is configured to cache a message received by the OTI service module 10; the storage module 17 is used for storing the messages received by the OTI service module 10. The OTI service module 10 can quickly acquire the messages or data loaded once through the cache module 15, the storage module 17 can store the messages or data for a longer time or persistently, and the cache module 15 and the storage module 17 work together to ensure the high efficiency and accessibility of message delivery.

The above are some illustrations of the OTI service module 10. The message transfer agent module 30 is described below.

The following description is specifically made with the MQTT proxy module.

Referring to fig. 7, in some embodiments, the messaging proxy module 30 includes an MQTT proxy module 31; the MQTT proxy module 31 can maintain a long TCP connection with the subscribed internet-of-things devices, and monitor the status of the connected internet-of-things devices through a heartbeat mechanism; the MQTT proxy module 31 is capable of sending and receiving MQTT messages. The MQTT proxy module 31 implements an MQTT protocol, mainly provides a message subscription and publishing function, and is a core component for implementing "Push" of messages to the internet of things device. MQTT is an abbreviation of Message Queuing telemeasurement Transport, means of Message queue remote sensing transmission, is a Message protocol based on a publish-subscribe paradigm under the ISO standard (ISO/IEC PRF 20922), and can be regarded as a 'bridge for data transmission'; the MQTT protocol operates on the TCP/IP suite and is a publish/subscribe messaging protocol designed for remote devices with poor hardware performance and in poor network conditions. In some examples of the present application, the MQTT proxy module 31 mainly has two functions, as described above, one is to maintain long TCP connections with connected devices and monitor the health of the connections through "Heartbeat" (Heartbeat); secondly, on the basis of the basic function of publishing and subscribing, an Application Programming Interface (API) is provided to the outside, so that some third parties can send MQTT messages to the equipment according to a theme (Topic), and meanwhile, the MQTT messages sent by the equipment can also be received and then forwarded to the third parties according to requirements.

Referring to fig. 8, in some embodiments, when the SIM card over-the-air transmission system includes a plurality of MQTT proxy modules 31, the plurality of MQTT proxy modules 31 are connected to each other to form a cluster, and when any MQTT proxy module 31 receives a message, the message is synchronized and stored in the cluster. The cluster mode operation can ensure the message issuing quality and the availability of the whole function.

Referring to fig. 9, in some embodiments, the messaging proxy module 30 includes a CoAP proxy module 32. CoAP is an abbreviation of structured Application Protocol, and is a network Application layer Protocol supporting a device that can be limited based on UDP, such as an internet of things device. The CoAP protocol is designed to allow devices to communicate in restricted network conditions, e.g., low power, compromised networks, with connections between restricted networks in the form of the internet. Due to the satisfaction of multicast, low consumption and simplicity, CoAP is well suited for internet of things or M2M devices. CoAP may be an alternative to MQTT protocol in some scenarios.

In some examples, the messaging proxy module 30 may receive and send messages in its own protocol, typically for communicating with internet of things devices. Specifically, for example, MQTT proxy module 31 can send and receive MQTT messages, and further, for example, CoAP proxy module 32 can send and receive CoAP messages. In some examples, the message passing proxy module 30 may also receive and send messages based on network application layer protocols, primarily for communication with the OTI service module 10.

The OTI service module 10 and the message transfer agent module 30 may form a hybrid protocol system, that is, the SIM card over-the-air transmission system based on the hybrid protocol according to the present application, please refer to fig. 10, which can communicate with a third party such as an operator and an internet of things device. In the figure, "single arrow" indicates that the message transmission is in a "Request/return" (Request/Response) line, "double arrow" indicates that the message transmission is in a "subscription/publication" (Subscribe/Publish) form.

In some embodiments, in the downlink working mode, the OTI service module 10 receives a message sent by a third party such as an operator based on a network application layer protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs, and sends a corresponding message to the message transfer agent module 30 based on the network application layer protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs; if the message transfer agent module 30 has a corresponding cluster, the message will be synchronized and stored within the cluster; the message passing agent module 30 receives the message based on the network application layer protocol sent by the OTI service module 10, and publishes the message based on the corresponding agent protocol to the subscribed corresponding internet of things device, so that the LPA module in the corresponding internet of things device receives and processes the message.

In some embodiments, in the uplink working mode, the message transfer agent module 30 receives a message based on a corresponding agent protocol sent by an LPA module in the subscribed internet of things device, and then sends the message to the OTI service module 10 based on a network application layer protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs; the OTI service module 10 receives a message transmitted by the message transfer agent module 30 based on a network application layer protocol, and then transmits the corresponding message to a third party such as an operator based on a network application layer protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs.

In some embodiments, in the uplink working mode, the internet of things device can also directly communicate with the OTI service module 10, in this case, the OTI service module 10 receives a message sent by the LPA module of the internet of things device based on a network application layer protocol such as HTTP or BIP, and sends a corresponding message to a third party based on a network application layer protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs.

The LPA module is integrated with a client for corresponding proxy protocol messages, such as a client for MQTT messages, and an LPA module in the internet of things device, and is responsible for communicating with the OTI service module 10 and the message transfer proxy module 30, and also completes functions of Profile installation, selection, deletion, and the like.

The above are some descriptions of the structure and operation mode of the hybrid protocol-based SIM card over-the-air transmission system of the present application, and the following examples are given to specifically describe the operation process.

The following does not take asynchronous messages as an example to explain the downlink working process. Please refer to fig. 11:

(1) a third party (such as an operator, a handset vendor, etc.) sends a message using the HTTP/HTTPs protocol to the OTI service module 10, the message being marked by the third party in the form of an asynchronous transfer.

(2) The OTI service module 10 returns an OK indicating that the message has been received.

(3) The OTI service module 10 puts the received message into its own message queue, and at the same time, buffers and stores the message according to a certain policy.

(4) The OTI service module 10 sends the message in the message queue to the MQTT proxy module 31 by the distributor 13c, which is described here by way of example that the message passing proxy module 30 includes the MQTT proxy module 31. The MQTT proxy module 31 synchronizes and saves the message within its cluster.

(5) The MQTT proxy module 31 publishes a message, which is received by the subscribed corresponding devices.

(6) The device replies an ack reply to the MQTT proxy module 31, and the MQTT proxy module 31 thereby marks that the message has been delivered.

The following is a practical application scenario. Taking an example of an eSIM consumer as an example, the method mainly includes two processes, that is, pushing an activation code to an eSIM card of a device, and that an LPA module of the device downloads Prolife from SM-DP + by using the activation code and installs the Prolife into the eSIM card. Specifically, referring to fig. 12, an enterprise-level internet-of-things client orders a group of code numbers (Prolife) from a mobile operator MNO and issues the code numbers to a certain group of devices in an over-the-air issuing manner, where a single code number is issued to a specific device as an example. The MNO acquires the unique identification (EID) of the equipment to be issued, generates and packages the Profile according to the identification of the enterprise client, generates a corresponding unique Activation Code (Activation Code) according to the Profile, and then adds the packaged Profile to the SM-DP +. The MNO transmits the EID and the activation code to the SIM card air transmission system based on the hybrid protocol through the HTTP protocol, the SIM card air transmission system based on the hybrid protocol pushes the activation code to the equipment through the HTTP protocol and the MQTT protocol according to the EID, and the following is an example of a specific message JSON mode:

{

"tranId": "6c90fcc5-a30d-444f-9ba4-5bc4338956c7",

"timestamp": 1566284086,

"topic": "89086001202200101018000001017002",

"expireTime": 60,

"payload": { "method": "PUSH_AC",

"content": {

"acInfos": [{

"ac": "1$SMDPPLUS.TEST.COM$MAC80FT102MQKQ801B23R8Z",

"cc": "examplecc",

"apnInfos": [{

"apn":”example",

"mccmnc": "46001"

}]

}

wherein "tranId" represents an ID of a message for uniquely identifying the message; "timestamp" represents a timestamp, the content of "topic" is EID, and the device side has completed subscription to MQTT proxy module 31 in advance; "expireTime" indicates an expiration time, "payload" indicates a load, "method" indicates a message sending method, specifically, "PUSH _ AC," "content" indicates content of the message, "AC" is an abbreviation of an activation code, and the content conforms to an activation code definition specified by GSMA. The most important parameters here are "topic", "content" and "ac", the remainder being generally auxiliary parameters, which do not play a decisive role in the main process.

After receiving the message of the activation code, the LPA module in the device parses the activation code from the message content, requests to acquire the Profile from the SM-DP + through the activation code, and the interaction process of acquiring the Profile is a standard flow defined by GSMA, which is not described herein again.

After the device acquires the Profile, the Profile is installed in the eSIM card carried by the device.

The above is the downlink procedure and a specific procedure of sending the activate code.

The following does not take asynchronous messages as an example to describe the uplink operation process. Please refer to fig. 13 and 14:

(1.1) the internet-of-things device issues an MQTT message to the MQTT proxy module 31, and since the MQTT proxy module 31 has subscribed the unique identifier of the device as a theme in advance, the message of the relevant device can be received — here, the message passing proxy module 30 includes the MQTT proxy module 31 is taken as an example for explanation.

(1.2) the MQTT proxy module 31 replies with an ack reply, indicating to the internet of things device that the message has been received.

(1.3) the MQTT proxy module 31 sends a message to the OTI service module 10 through the HTTP protocol.

In (1.1), (1.2) and (1.3), the message is transmitted from the internet of things device to the OTI service module 10 through the MQTT proxy module 31, and in some examples, the message may also be directly transmitted from the internet of things device to the OTI service module 10, for example, the following (2):

(2) the internet of things equipment directly sends the message to the OTI service module 10 through protocols such as HTTP or BIP.

Passing through (1.1), (1.2) and (1.3), or passing through (2), the message is delivered to the OTI service module 10 by the internet of things device, and then:

(4) The OTI service module 10 delivers a message to a third party through the HTTP protocol.

In the uplink working process or the downlink working process, the HTTP, BIP and MQTT protocols involved in use can use the TLS security protocol to reinforce the network channel; in addition, the message content can also be subjected to data signing and encryption through a private protocol so as to ensure the integrity and invisibility of the information.

Referring to fig. 15, a practical application scenario is described below. Taking reporting of the uplink message by the device as an example, after the device of the internet of things is turned on each time, various parameters need to be initialized, and the current network connection and health diagnosis condition are reported, a "BOOT" event is defined herein to include information acquired by the current device, and the following is an example of a JSON mode of the "BOOT" event:

{

"tranId": "6c90fcc5-a30d-444f-9ba4-5bc4338956c7",

"version": 0,

"timestamp": 1566284086,

"topic": "89086001202200101018000001017002",

"payload": {

"event": "BOOT",

"status": 0,

"content": {

"deviceInfo": {

"imei": "356744063251832",

"deviceId": "2E11F8D5928F37D918797ECC46C9B763",

"sn": "S0C1YLB10CI00044",

"model": "QUECTEL",

},

"profiles":[{

"iccid": "8932344565644545",

"type": 1

}],

"network":{

"iccid": "8932344565644545",

"profileType": 1,

"mccmnc": "46001",

"type": "4G",

"dbm": -70,

"signalLevel":"3"

},

"software": [{

"name": "linux-euicc-agent-general",

"version": "1.1.6",

"chipModel": "9x07",

"type": 0

}]

}

the meaning of each parameter in the JSON mode of the "BOOT" event may refer to the above description of the meaning of each parameter in the JSON mode of another message, and is not described herein again.

The message of the "BOOT" event may be reported to the hybrid protocol-based SIM card air transmission system by the internet of things device through HTTP or BIP, for example, the message is directly sent to the OTI service module 10 by the internet of things device, or the message is forwarded by the message transfer agent module 30 to be sent to the OTI service module 10 by the internet of things device. After receiving a message sent by equipment, the SIM card air transmission system based on the hybrid protocol performs different message escape according to the protocol, stores the message into a cache and stores data according to a certain storage strategy after removing duplication and screening the message, and forwards the message to a third party to which the message belongs through an HTTP (hyper text transport protocol) by using content (EID) of 'topic'. The third party may then receive the upstream message.

Some implementations of the present application also disclose a working method, which is based on or applied to the hybrid protocol-based SIM card air transmission system described in any of the embodiments of the present application. The working method comprises a downlink working mode and/or an uplink working mode.

Referring to fig. 16, in some embodiments, the working method of the present application in the downlink working mode includes the following steps:

step 100: the OTI service module receives a message sent by a third party based on a network application layer protocol. The network application layer protocol involved in step 100 may be a protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs.

Step 110: and the OTI service module sends the corresponding message to the message transmission agent module based on the network application layer protocol. The network application layer protocol involved in step 110 may be a protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs.

Step 120: the message transfer agent module receives the message based on the network application layer protocol sent by the OTI service module. The network application layer protocol involved in step 120 may be a protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs.

Step 130: the message transmission agent module issues a message based on the corresponding agent protocol to the subscribed corresponding internet of things equipment, so that the LPA module in the corresponding internet of things equipment receives and processes the message. The message transmission agent module involved in step 130 may be a module based on MQTT protocol, in contrast, a message based on the corresponding agent protocol, which is issued by the message transmission agent module to the subscribed corresponding internet of things device, is an MQTT message.

Referring to fig. 17, in some embodiments, the working method of the present application in the uplink working mode includes the following steps:

step 200: the message transfer agent module receives the message based on the corresponding agent protocol sent by the LPA module in the subscribed Internet of things equipment. The message transfer agent module involved in step 200 may be a module based on MQTT protocol, and thus, the LPA module in the internet of things device may send MQTT messages to the message transfer agent module.

Step 210: and the message transmission agent module sends the message to the OTI service module based on a network application layer protocol. The network application layer protocol involved in step 210 may be a protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs.

Step 220: and the OTI service module receives the message sent by the message transfer agent module based on the network application layer protocol.

Step 230: and the OTI service module sends the corresponding message to a third party based on a network application layer protocol. The network application layer protocol involved in step 230 may be a protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs.

Referring to fig. 18, in other embodiments, the working method of the present application in the uplink working mode includes the following steps:

step 300: the OTI service module receives a message sent by an LPA module of the Internet of things device based on a network application layer protocol. The network application layer protocol involved in step 300 may be HTTP or BIP, among other protocols.

Step 310: and the OTI service module sends the corresponding message to a third party based on a network application layer protocol. The network application layer protocol involved in step 310 may be a protocol such as HTTP/HTTPs.

It can be seen that the uplink operation mode can be implemented by using steps 200 to 230 shown in fig. 17, or by using steps 300 to 310 shown in fig. 18.

It should be noted that, the above method steps involve an LPA module, which integrates a client for corresponding proxy protocol messages, such as an MQTT client for messages, and an LPA module in the internet of things device, and is responsible for communicating with the OTI service module 10 and the message transfer proxy module 30, and also completes functions of Profile installation, selection, deletion, and the like.

The above are some of the illustrations of the solution of the present application. The message transmission agent module in some embodiments of the present application may adopt, for example, an MQTT agent module, which may support connection of a large number of internet of things devices, and the subscription/publication mode reduces the number of times of interaction between the internet of things devices and the server and the amount of information transmitted per interaction, so as to maintain a low operation cost. Some embodiments of the present application, which can support multiple mixed protocols, can flexibly select the final solution according to the actual business needs, such as message transmission quality, transmission cost, and transmission efficiency. Some embodiments of the application have strong extensibility and can add support for new communication protocols. Some embodiments of the application adopt non-OTA protocols, which can eliminate the dependence on telecom operators in short message service, thus greatly saving cost. Some embodiments of the application have stronger message accessibility, can definitely acquire the accurate state of message transmission, and meet the requirements in management. Some embodiments of the present application, with a centralized message management mechanism, can globally master the process and result of message processing. Some embodiments of the present application have strong security, because the channel composed of all protocols has security protocol reinforcement, and the message cannot be tampered in the complete transmission process.

Reference is made herein to various exemplary embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope hereof. For example, the various operational steps, as well as the components used to perform the operational steps, may be implemented in differing ways depending upon the particular application or consideration of any number of cost functions associated with operation of the system (e.g., one or more steps may be deleted, modified or incorporated into other steps).

While the principles herein have been illustrated in various embodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, elements, materials, and components particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements may be employed without departing from the principles and scope of the present disclosure. The above modifications and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this document.

The foregoing detailed description has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be considered in an illustrative and not a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope thereof. Also, advantages, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to various embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any element(s) to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the term "coupled," and any other variation thereof, as used herein, refers to a physical connection, an electrical connection, a magnetic connection, an optical connection, a communicative connection, a functional connection, and/or any other connection.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined only by the claims.

Claims

1. A SIM card air transmission system based on a hybrid protocol is characterized by comprising an OTI service module and at least one message transfer agent module; the SIM card aerial transmission system comprises a downlink working mode and/or an uplink working mode;

in the downlink working mode, the OTI service module is used for receiving a message sent by a third party based on a network application layer protocol and then sending the corresponding message to the message transmission agent module based on the network application layer protocol; the message transmission agent module is used for receiving the message based on the network application layer protocol sent by the OTI service module and issuing the message to the subscribed corresponding Internet of things equipment;

in the uplink working mode, the message transfer agent module is used for receiving a message sent by subscribed internet of things equipment and then sending a corresponding message to the OTI service module based on a network application layer protocol; the OTI service module is used for receiving the message sent by the message transfer agent module based on the network application layer protocol and then sending the corresponding message to a third party based on the network application layer protocol; and/or in the uplink working mode, the OTI service module is used for receiving a message sent by the Internet of things equipment based on a network application layer protocol, and then sending the corresponding message to a third party based on the network application layer protocol.

2. The SIM card over-the-air transmission system of claim 1, wherein the OTI service module comprises an application program interface and a message module having a message parser built therein;

3. The SIM card over-the-air transmission system of claim 1, wherein the OTI service module further comprises a buffer module and a storage module; the cache module is used for caching the message received by the OTI service module; the storage module is used for storing the messages received by the OTI service module.

4. The SIM card over-the-air transmission system of claim 1, wherein the messaging proxy module comprises an MQTT proxy module; the MQTT agent module can keep long TCP connection with subscribed Internet of things equipment and monitor the condition of the connected Internet of things equipment through a heartbeat mechanism; the MQTT agent module can send and receive MQTT messages.

5. The SIM card air transmission system according to claim 4, wherein when the SIM card air transmission system includes a plurality of MQTT proxy modules, the MQTT proxy modules are connected to each other in a cluster, and when any MQTT proxy module receives a message, the message is synchronized and stored in the cluster.

6. The SIM card over-the-air transmission system of claim 1, wherein the messaging proxy module comprises a CoAP proxy module.

7. The SIM card over-the-air transmission system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the SIM card over-the-air transmission system comprises a downlink mode of operation;

8. The SIM card over-the-air transmission system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the SIM card over-the-air transmission system comprises an uplink mode of operation;

9. The SIM card over-the-air transmission system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the SIM card over-the-air transmission system comprises an uplink mode of operation;

10. An operating method based on the SIM card air transmission system according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the operating method includes a downlink operating mode and/or an uplink operating mode;