CN102215469B - Policy and charging control (PCC) method and system based on network load - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a policy charging control method based on network load, including: when a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) makes a policy decision, according to whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the display of Congestion Notification (ECN) And whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy is greater than the guaranteed rate, or the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy is equal to the guaranteed rate; the PCRF sends the policy to a policy enforcement entity that enforces the policy. The invention also provides a policy charging control system based on network load.

Description

A method and system for policy charging control based on network load

technical field

The invention relates to the communication field, in particular to a network load-based policy charging control method and system.

Background technique

Since the 3rd Generation Partnership Project Phase 7 (3GPP Release7) standard system, the policy and charging functions are implemented by the Policy and Charging Control (PCC, Policy and Charging Control) framework. The PCC architecture is a functional framework that can be applied to multiple access technologies. For example, the PCC architecture can be applied to the Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN, UMTS Terrestrial Radio AccessNetwork) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM, Global system for Mobile Communication)/GSM Data Enhanced Evolution (EDGE) wireless access network, interworking wireless local area network (I-WLAN), and evolved packet system (EPS, Evolved Packet System), etc.

The PCC mainly implements two functions of policy control and charging. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an existing PCC architecture. The logical functional entities and their interface functions in the PCC architecture shown in FIG. 1 are described below. As shown in Figure 1:

AF (Application Function, Application Function Entity) is used to provide access points for business applications, and the network resources used by these business applications require dynamic policy control. When negotiating parameters on the service plane, AF transmits relevant service information to the Policy and Charging Rules Function entity (PCRF, Policy and Charging Rules Function). If the service information is consistent with the PCRF policy, the PCRF accepts the negotiation; otherwise, the PCRF rejects the negotiation, and gives the service parameters acceptable to the PCRF in feedback. Then, the AF can return these parameters to the user equipment (UE, UserEquipment). Wherein, the interface between the AF and the PCRF is the Rx interface. The Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF, Proxy Call Session Control Function) in the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS, IP Multimedia Subsystem) can be considered as a kind of AF.

The PCRF is the core of the PCC and is responsible for making policy decisions and charging rules. PCRF provides network control rules based on service data flow. These network controls include service data flow detection, gating control (Gating Control), quality of service (QoS, Quality of Service) control, and data flow-based charging rules. The PCRF sends the policy and charging rules formulated by it to the policy and charging enforcement function entity (PCEF, Policy and Control Enforcement Function) for execution; at the same time, the PCRF also needs to ensure that these rules are consistent with the user's subscription information. Among them, the basis for PCRF to formulate policies and charging rules includes: information related to services obtained from AF, and user policy and charging control contracts related to policy control and charging obtained from the Subscription Profile Repository (SPR) information, and bearer-related network information obtained from the PCEF through the Gx interface.

The PCEF is usually located in a gateway (GW, Gate-Way), and executes policies and charging rules formulated by the PCRF on the bearer plane. The PCEF detects the service data flow according to the service data flow filter in the rules sent by the PCRF, and then executes the policies and charging rules formulated by the PCRF for these service data flows; QoS authorization, and gate control according to the execution of AF; at the same time, PCEF triggers and reports events occurring on the bearer network according to events subscribed by PCRF; The fee can be either online billing or offline billing. If it is online charging, PCEF needs to perform credit management together with the online charging system (OCS, Online Charging System); when offline charging, exchange related charging between PCEF and the offline charging system (OFCS, Offline Charging System) information. Wherein, the interface between the PCEF and the PCRF is a Gx interface, the interface between the PCEF and the OCS is a Gy interface, and the interface between the PCEF and the OFCS is a Gz interface. PCEF is generally located on the gateway of the network, such as the packet data network gateway (PDN-GW) of EPS, the GPRS gateway support node (GGSN) in the general packet radio service (GPRS, General Packet Radio Service) and the Internet wireless network LAN (I -WLAN, Packet Data Gateway (PDG, Packet Data Gateway) in Interworking WLAN), etc.

The Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function entity (BBERF, Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function) is usually located in the Access Network Gateway (Access Network Gateway). For example, when the user equipment accesses EPS through E-UTRAN, and the proxy mobile Internet protocol version 6 (PMIPv6, Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol version 6) protocol is used between the serving gateway S-GW and P-GW, BBERF exists in the S-GW . When the user equipment accesses through the trusted non-3GPP access network, the BBERF also exists in the trusted non-3GPP access gateway.

Subscriber subscription database (SPR), which stores subscriber policy charging control subscription information related to policy control and charging. The interface between SPR and PCRF is the Sp interface.

OCS and PCEF jointly complete the control and management of user credit in the online charging mode.

The OFCS and the PCEF jointly complete the charging operation in the offline charging mode.

UE (User Equipment, user equipment) establishes a PDN connection through a wireless communication system (such as GRPS, UMTS, EPS), also known as an IP-CAN (IP-Connectivity Access Network, IP connection access network) session to realize communication with operators or third parties. Provides access to IP services. The PCRF makes policy decisions according to the QoS requirements of services accessed by users, and initiates a resource reservation process in the wireless communication system to provide QoS guarantees for service access.

For some services, the wireless communication system will provide a Guarantee BitRate (GBR for short) for the transmission of the service, so as to meet the minimum bandwidth required for the transmission of the data flow of this service. At the same time, the maximum rate (Maximum BitRate, referred to as MBR) will be set to limit the maximum rate of data stream transmission of this service. To simplify the implementation of the QoS guarantee mechanism, the value of the GBR is usually set to be the same as the value of the MBR. The disadvantage of this solution is that when the actual transmission rate of the service is lower than the MBR, the resource allocated by the network to the service is still the MBR, which is unfavorable for saving network resources and reducing the operating cost of the operator.

At present, the industry is studying how to realize the QoS guarantee mechanism of MBR>GBR. The guaranteed bandwidth provided by the network for service transmission is less than the maximum transmission rate of the service. When the network load is light, the network can provide MBR rate transmission for the service to provide a better user experience, and when the network load is heavy, especially when there is congestion (mainly refers to the congestion on the wireless side), the service transmission will be reduced rate, only GBR bandwidth guarantee is provided. By reducing the bandwidth to ensure the smooth progress of business access. Through the dynamic adjustment of the transmission rate, network resources can be saved and operators' operating costs can be reduced.

In order to realize the above mechanism, first UE and wireless base station must support ECN (Explicit Congestion Notification, explicit congestion notification) mechanism. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of ECN detection of downlink data. UE B sends data to UE A at the MBR rate, and the IP header ECN of the data is marked as ECT (0) (that is, no congestion). When the data packet passes through the wireless base station A, the wireless base station A sends the ECN of the data packet bit set to ECN-CE (indicating congestion). When UE A detects the ECN-CE value, it judges that there is congestion on its downlink path, and UE A sends a request message to UE B to reduce the rate. After receiving the request message, UE B sends data at the rate of GBR. In this way, data packets will not be lost due to congestion of the wireless base station, ensuring normal access to services. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of ECN detection of uplink data. UE A sends data to UE B at the rate of MBR, and the IP header ECN of the data is marked as ECT (0) (that is, no congestion). When the data packet passes through wireless base station A, wireless base station A sends the ECN of the data packet to bit set to ECN-CE. When UE B detects the ECN-CE value, it judges that there is congestion on its uplink path, and UE B sends a request message to UE A to reduce the rate. After receiving the request message, UE A sends data at the rate of GBR. Since it takes a certain amount of time for the communication parties (i.e., UE A and UE B) to perform rate adjustment interaction, in order to ensure that both communication parties have enough time to perform rate adjustment when congestion occurs, the wireless base station needs to ensure that the congestion indicator bit ( That is, ECN-CE) within a default grace period (graceperiod) (for example, at least 300 milliseconds or at least 500 milliseconds) without packet loss. During this grace period, the wireless base station also needs to meet other QoS requirements of the current data packet (such as QoS Class Identifier (QoS Class Identifier, QCI) characteristics). At present, there is no complete solution on how to use PCC to implement policy control in the scenario of MBR>GBR when transmitting service data streams, and finally realize policy charging control based on network load.

Contents of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a policy control method and system based on network load.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a network load-based policy charging control method, including:

When the Policy and Charging Rules Function entity (PCRF) makes a policy decision, it sets the value of the policy according to whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports explicit congestion notification (ECN) and whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN. The maximum rate in the quality of service information is greater than the guaranteed rate, or the maximum rate in the policy's quality of service information is equal to the guaranteed rate;

The PCRF sends the policy to a policy enforcement entity, and the policy enforcement entity executes the policy.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, and the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, the PCRF sets the quality of service information of the policy to The maximum rate is greater than the guaranteed rate.

Further, the above method may also have the following feature, if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN, or the user equipment or its communication peer does not support ECN, the PCRF sets the policy service The maximum rate in the quality information is equal to the guaranteed rate.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, the PCRF obtains from the application function entity (AF) whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF receives from the AF the When indicating, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the AF that both communication parties support ECN, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer The end does not support ECN.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, the PCRF obtains from the Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) or the Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF) whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF receives an indication from the PCEF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, the PCEF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the The PCRF does not receive an indication from the PCEF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, or the PCRF receives from the PECF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support When the ECN is indicated, the PCRF determines whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN; or, the PCRF determines whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN according to the configuration information.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, the PCEF acquires an indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN according to the following manner:

The mobile management entity (MME) or the serving GPRS support gateway (SGSN) receives an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or the MME or the SGSN judges according to the configuration information After the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN capability, the MME or SGSN sends an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

Further, the above method may also have the following characteristics, the BBERF obtains an indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN in the following manner:

The MME receives an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or after the MME determines whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN capability according to the configuration information, the The MME sends an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

The present invention provides a policy charging control method based on network load, including:

When the policy and charging rule function entity (PCRF) makes policy decisions, it depends on whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports congestion control based on explicit congestion notification (ECN) and whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN , the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the set policy is greater than the guaranteed rate, or the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the set policy is equal to the guaranteed rate;

The PCRF sends the policy to a policy enforcement entity, and the policy enforcement entity executes the policy.

Further, the above method may also have the following feature, if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control, and the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, the PCRF sets the policy The maximum rate in the quality of service information is greater than the guaranteed rate.

Further, the above method may also have the following feature, if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control, or the user equipment or its communication peer does not support ECN, the PCRF setting The maximum rate in the quality of service information of the above policy is equal to the guaranteed rate.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, the PCRF obtains from the application function entity (AF) whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF receives from the AF the When indicating, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the AF that both communication parties support ECN, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer The end does not support ECN.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, the PCRF obtains from the Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) or the Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF) whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control: when the PCRF receives an indication from the PCEF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control, the PCRF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment The wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the PCEF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control, or the PCRF receives from the PECF or the BBERF When the BBERF receives an indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control, the PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control; or, the PCRF Whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control is acquired according to the configuration information.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control means that the wireless base station supports ECN and after using the ECN to indicate the occurrence of congestion, within the grace period Ensure no packet loss and/or meet the quality of service category identification QCI characteristics.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, the PCEF obtains an indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control according to the following manner:

A mobility management entity (MME) or a serving GPRS support gateway (SGSN) receives an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or the MME or the SGSN After judging whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control capability according to the configuration information, the MME or SGSN sends an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control to the Gateway where PCEF resides.

Further, the above method may also have the following features, the BBERF acquires an indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control in the following manner:

The MME receives an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or the MME judges whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control according to the configuration information After the congestion control capability is established, the MME sends an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

The present invention also provides a policy charging control system based on network load, including a PCRF and a policy enforcement entity:

When the PCRF is used for policy decision-making, according to whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN and whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, set the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy to be greater than the guaranteed rate , or set the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy to be equal to the guaranteed rate, and deliver the policy to the policy enforcement entity;

The policy enforcement entity is configured to receive the policy from the PCRF, and execute the policy.

Further, the above system may also have the following features, the PCRF is used to set the policy service when the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, and the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN The maximum rate in the quality information is greater than the guaranteed rate.

Further, the above-mentioned system may also have the following feature, the PCRF is used to set the The maximum rate in the quality of service information of the above policy is equal to the guaranteed rate.

Further, the above system may also have the following features, the PCRF is used to obtain from the AF whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF receives an indication from the AF that both communication parties support ECN , the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; ECN is supported.

Further, the above system may also have the following characteristics, the system also includes PCEF or BBERF, wherein:

The PCRF is configured to obtain from the PCEF or BBERF whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF receives from the PCEF or the BBERF whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN When indicating, the PCEF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the PCEF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, or, When the PCRF receives an indication from the PECF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN, the PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN; or,

The PCRF is configured to judge whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN according to the configuration information. .

Further, the above system may also have the following characteristics, the system further includes MME or SGSN, wherein:

The MME or SGSN is configured to receive an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or determine whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN according to configuration information After the capability, an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN is sent to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

Further, the above system may also have the following characteristics, the system further includes MME, wherein:

The MME is configured to receive an indication from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment whether the wireless base station supports ECN, or, after determining whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN capability according to the configuration information, Sending an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

The present invention also provides a policy charging control system based on network load, including a PCRF and a policy enforcement entity:

The PCRF is used for policy decision-making, according to whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control and whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, and sets the maximum value in the quality of service information of the policy. If the rate is greater than the guaranteed rate, or the maximum rate in the QoS information of the policy is equal to the guaranteed rate, the policy is sent to the policy enforcement entity;

The policy enforcement entity is configured to receive the policy from the PCRF, and execute the policy.

Further, the above system may also have the following features, the PCRF is used to set the ECN-based congestion control when the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, and the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN. The maximum rate in the quality of service information of the above policy is greater than the guaranteed rate.

Further, the above system may also have the following feature, the PCRF is used when the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control, or the user equipment or its communication peer does not support congestion control based on During ECN congestion control, set the maximum rate in the QoS information of the policy equal to the guaranteed rate.

Further, the above system may also have the following features, the PCRF is used to obtain from the AF whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF receives an indication from the AF that both communication parties support ECN , the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; ECN is supported.

Further, the above system may also have the following characteristics, the system also includes PCEF or BBERF, wherein:

The PCRF is configured to obtain from the PCEF or BBERF whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF receives from the PCEF or the BBERF the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment When the base station supports an indication of ECN-based congestion control, the PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF does not receive the user equipment current An indication that the accessed wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control, or when the PCRF receives an indication from the PECF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control, the The PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control; or

The PCRF is configured to judge whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control according to the configuration information.

Further, the above system may also have the following feature, the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control means that the wireless base station supports ECN and after using the ECN to indicate the occurrence of congestion, within the grace period Ensure no packet loss and/or meet the quality of service category identification QCI characteristics.

Further, the above system may also have the following characteristics, the system further includes MME or SGSN, wherein:

The MME or SGSN is configured to receive an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or determine the wireless network currently accessed by the user equipment according to configuration information. After whether the base station supports the ECN-based congestion control capability, an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN-based congestion control is sent to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

Further, the above-mentioned system may also have the following features, the MME is configured to receive an indication from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control, or judge the congestion control based on the configuration information. After determining whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control capabilities, send an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

The present invention can realize policy charging control based on network load. When the load is light, the service transmission rate is allowed to reach MBR, and when the load is heavy, the service transmission rate is GBR.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a PCC architecture diagram;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of using an ECN base station to adjust an uplink data rate in the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of downlink data rate adjustment using an ECN base station in the prior art;

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The present invention provides a policy charging control method based on network load, including:

When PCRF makes a policy decision, according to whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN and whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy is set to be greater than the guaranteed rate, or the maximum rate of the policy is set. The maximum rate in the quality of service information is equal to the guaranteed rate;

The PCRF sends the policy to a policy enforcement entity, and the policy enforcement entity executes the policy.

Wherein, if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, and the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, the PCRF sets the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy to be greater than the guaranteed rate; if the The wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN, or the user equipment or its communication peer does not support ECN, and the PCRF sets the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy to be equal to the guaranteed rate.

Wherein, the PCRF obtains from the AF whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; The opposite end supports ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the AF that both communicating parties support ECN, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communicating end do not support ECN. (Note: Obtain whether the communication parties support ECN from AF)

Wherein, the PCRF obtains from the PCEF or BBERF whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF receives an indication from the PCEF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN , the PCRF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the PCEF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, or, the When the PCRF receives an indication from the PECF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN, the PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN; or,

The PCRF determines whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN according to the configuration information.

Wherein, the PCEF acquires an indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN according to the following method:

The MME or the SGSN receives an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or the MME or the SGSN determines whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment according to the configuration information After supporting the ECN capability, the MME or SGSN sends an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

Wherein, the BBERF acquires an indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN in the following manner:

The MME receives an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or after the MME determines whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN capability according to the configuration information, the The MME sends an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

Wherein, the policy enforcement entity is PCEF, or PCEF and BBERF, and the PCRF sends the policy to the PCEF, or sends the policy to the PCEF and the BBERF; the PCEF or the BBERF Implement the strategy.

The present invention provides a policy charging control method based on network load, including:

When PCRF makes a policy decision, according to whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control and whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy is set to be greater than the guaranteed rate. Or set the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy to be equal to the guaranteed rate;

The PCRF sends the policy to a policy enforcement entity, and the policy enforcement entity executes the policy.

Wherein, if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control, and the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, the PCRF sets the maximum rate in the service quality information of the policy to be greater than the guaranteed rate.

Wherein, if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control, or the user equipment or its communication peer does not support ECN, the PCRF sets the maximum The rate is equal to the guaranteed rate.

Wherein, the PCRF obtains from the AF whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; The opposite end supports ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the AF that both communicating parties support ECN, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communicating end do not support ECN.

Wherein, the PCRF obtains from the PCEF or the BBERF whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF receives from the PCEF or the BBERF the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment When an indication of ECN-based congestion control is supported, the PCRF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF does not receive from the PCEF or the BBERF The incoming wireless base station supports the ECN-based congestion control indication, or when the PCRF receives from the PECF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support the ECN-based congestion control indication, the PCRF determines that the The wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control; or

The PCRF obtains according to the configuration information whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control.

Wherein, the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control means that the wireless base station supports ECN and ensures no packet loss and/or meets The quality of service class identifies the QCI characteristic.

Wherein, the PCEF acquires an indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control in the following manner:

The MME or the SGSN receives from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control, or the MME or the SGSN determines that the user equipment is currently accessing After determining whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control capability, the MME or SGSN sends an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

Wherein, the BBERF obtains an indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control in the following manner:

The MME receives an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or the MME judges whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control according to the configuration information After the congestion control capability is established, the MME sends an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

Example 1

This embodiment describes that after the user establishes an IP-CAN (IP-Connectivity Access Network, IP connection access network) session, after the UE initiates service access, the PCRF makes a policy decision. The IP-CAN session established by the UE does not have a BBERF. The specific process is shown in Figure 4, including the following steps:

Step 401: During the UE's request to establish an IP-CAN session, the PCEF receives a request to establish an IP-CAN session message, which carries the user ID of the user and the PDN ID of the PDN network requesting access. In this embodiment , at this time, the PCEF will receive an indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN from the lower network element (such as the S-GW in the EPS system or the SGSN in the UMTS system, etc.);

Among them, in the EPS system, the specific process of the PCEF receiving the indication from the lower layer network element that the wireless base station accessed by the UE supports ECN is as follows:

In the UE's attach process, the UE sends an attach request message to the eNodeB (Evolved Node B, evolved Node B), and the eNodeB then sends an attach request message to the MME (Mobility Management Entity, mobile management entity), and in the attach request message Carry the eNodeB support ECN indication; then the MME sends a session creation request message to the S-GW (Serving Gateway, serving gateway), and the session creation request message carries an indication that the eNodeB supports ECN, and the S-GW sends a message to the P-GW (PDN Gateway, The packet data network gateway) sends a session creation request message, and the session creation request message carries an indication that the eNodeB supports ECN, so that the PCEF located in the P-GW obtains the indication that the eNodeB currently accessed by the UE supports the ECN;

Or, in the process of establishing another PDN connection by the UE (that is, the UE establishes another PDN connection after attaching, and the P-GW selected at this time may be different from the P-GW selected at the time of attaching), the UE sends the PDN connection to the MME After that, the MME sends a connection request message to the S-GW. The connection request message carries an indication that the eNodeB currently accessed by the UE supports ECN. The S-GW then sends a session creation request message to the P-GW. The session creation request message contains Carrying the indication that the eNodeB accessed by the UE supports ECN, in this way, the PCEF located in the P-GW obtains the indication that the eNodeB accessed by the UE supports ECN.

In the above two processes, the eNodeB may not report the indication of its ability to support ECN, but the MME judges the ability of the eNodeB to support the ECN according to the configuration information, and reports the indication of the ability of the eNodeB to support the ECN to the S-GW.

In the UMTS system, the PCEF receives from the lower network elements the indication that the NodeB that the UE is currently accessing supports ECN. The SGSN or the SGSN judges that the NodeB supports ECN according to the configuration information, and then the SGSN sends it to the GGSN. In this way, the PCEF located in the GGSN can obtain the indication that the NodeB currently accessed by the UE supports the ECN capability.

Step 402: PCEF sends an IP-CAN session establishment indication message to PCRF, the IP-CAN session establishment indication message carries user identification, PDN identification, IP address (IPAddress) allocated for UE and UE current access information received by PCEF The wireless base station supports the indication of ECN;

Step 403: After receiving the above-mentioned IP-CAN session establishment indication message, the PCRF sends a subscription document request message to the SPR, and the subscription document request message carries the user identifier and the PDN identifier;

Step 404: After receiving the above-mentioned subscription document request message, the SPR returns the subscription information of the user to the PCRF according to the user ID and PDN ID therein;

Step 405: The PCRF receives the above-mentioned subscription information, formulates a strategy according to the returned subscription data, and sends it to the PCEF. The formulated strategy includes PCC rules and event triggers. Optionally, the value of the event trigger contains ECN_CAPABILITY_CHANGE;

Step 406: The PCEF returns a response to the UE to establish an IP-CAN session message, and the response message carries the IP Address of the UE;

Through the above steps, after the UE establishes the IP-CAN session, it initiates service access. The UE will interact with the AF (such as interacting with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling) to negotiate and determine service information for service access, such as media type, QoS parameter, coding type, etc. In this process, the UE will notify the AF that it supports the ECN capability, and the peer end of UE communication (such as another UE or AS (Application Server, application server) will also notify the AF that it supports the ECN capability.

Step 407: After the negotiation is completed, the AF sends a service/application information message to the PCRF, which carries the IP Address of the UE and the negotiated service information, such as media type, QoS parameter, coding type, etc. AF will also carry an indication that both communicating parties support ECN;

When neither of the communication parties (ie, the user equipment and its communication peer) does not support ECN, the AF does not send an indication that the communication parties support ECN to the PCRF.

Step 408: PCRF returns a confirmation message to AF after saving the service information;

Step 409: PCRF makes a policy decision, formulates PCC rules according to the subscription information, service information provided by AF, network policies, etc., and according to the indication sent by PCEF that the wireless base station supports ECN, and the indication sent by AF that both communication parties support ECN, set the PCC rules MBR in QoS > GBR;

Step 410: The PCRF sends a policy and charging rule provision message to the PCEF, carrying the PCC rule formulated in step 409;

Step 411: PCEF installs PCC rules, returns policies and charging rules and provides confirmation messages to PCRF;

Step 412: The PCEF executes the policy and initiates a resource reservation process, wherein resources are allocated according to the GBR, and the PCEF independently establishes a bearer for the service of MBR>GBR to transmit the service.

Among them, in the EPS system, the PCEF initiates the resource reservation process to the lower network elements as follows: the P-GW where the PCEF is located sends a bearer creation request to the S-GW, carrying the QoS information (including GBR and MBR) in the PCC rules, and the S -The GW then sends a bearer creation request to the MME, and the MME further sends a bearer establishment request to the eNodeB, carrying QoS information, and the eNodeB allocates resources for the bearer according to the GBR to provide guaranteed bandwidth. At the same time, when the load is light, the eNodeB allows the transmission rate of the business to reach the MBR.

In the UMTS system, the resource reservation process initiated by the PCEF to the lower-layer network elements is as follows: the GGSN where the PCEF is located sends an initial PDP context activation request message to the SGSN, carrying the QoS information (including GBR and MBR) in the PCC rules, and the SGSN further sends the request message to the SGSN The UE sends a request for activation of the second PDP context. Subsequently, the UE will initiate a second PDP context activation process, and the NodeB, RNC, SGSN, and GGSN will allocate resources for the bearer. NodeB GBR allocates resources for this bearer and provides guaranteed bandwidth. At the same time, when the load is light, the NodeB allows the transmission rate of the business to reach the MBR.

Example 2

This embodiment describes that after the user establishes an IP-CAN session, the UE initiates service access, and the PCRF makes a policy decision. The IP-CAN session established by the UE has a BBERF. The specific process is shown in Figure 5, including the following steps:

Step 501: In the process of the UE requesting to establish an IP-CAN session, the gateway where the BBERF resides receives a request to establish an IP-CAN session message, and the message carries the user ID of the user and the PDN ID of the PDN network requesting access. At this time, BBERF receives an indication that the UE's current wireless base station supports ECN from the lower network element (such as the S-GW in the EPS system, etc.);

Among them, in the EPS system, the specific process of BBERF receiving the indication that the UE's current wireless base station supports ECN from the lower layer network element is as follows:

In the attach process of the UE, the UE sends an attach request message to the eNodeB, and the eNodeB then sends an attach request message to the MME, and the attach request message carries an indication that the UE's current wireless base station supports ECN. Afterwards, the MME sends a session creation request message to the S-GW, and the session creation request message carries an indication that the UE's current wireless base station supports ECN, so that the BBERF located in the S-GW obtains the indication that the UE's current wireless base station supports ECN;

Or, in the process of establishing another PDN connection by the UE (that is, the UE establishes another PDN connection after attaching, and the P-GW selected at this time may be different from the P-GW selected at the time of attaching), the UE sends the PDN connection to the MME request, and then the MME sends a connection request message to the S-GW. The connection request message carries an indication that the current wireless base station of the UE supports ECN. In this way, the BBERF located in the S-GW obtains the information that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN. instruct.

Step 502: BBERF sends a gateway control session establishment message to PCRF, and the gateway control session establishment message carries user identification, PDN identification and an indication that the UE's current access to the wireless base station supports ECN;

Step 503: The PCRF receives the above-mentioned gateway control session establishment message, and sends a subscription document request message to the SPR, and the subscription document request message carries the user identifier and the PDN identifier;

Step 504: SPR receives the above-mentioned subscription document request message, and returns the subscription information of the user to PCRF according to the user ID and PDN ID therein;

Step 505: The PCRF formulates a policy according to the returned subscription data, wherein the policy formulated by the PCRF includes PCC rules, corresponding QoS rules and event triggers, wherein the value of the event trigger includes cell change. PCRF returns the gateway session establishment confirmation message to BBERF, the gateway session establishment confirmation message includes the QoS rules and event triggers made, BBERF receives the QoS rules and event triggers, and installs and executes them;

Step 506: The gateway where the BBERF resides sends a request to establish an IP-CAN session message to the gateway where the PCEF resides, and the request to establish an IP-CAN session message carries the user identifier and the PDN identifier;

Step 507: After the PCEF receives the request to establish an IP-CAN session message, it sends an IP-CAN session establishment instruction message to the PCRF, and the IP-CAN session establishment instruction message carries the user identifier, the PDN identifier and the IP Address assigned by the gateway to the UE;

Step 508: After receiving the IP-CAN session establishment instruction message, PCRF associates the gateway control session established in step 502 with the IP-CAN session established in step 507 according to the user ID and PDN ID, and returns the IP-CAN session establishment to PCEF A confirmation message, the IP-CAN session establishment confirmation message carries the PCC rules and event triggers formulated in step 505, and PCEF installs and executes them after receiving the PCC rules and event triggers;

Step 509: The PCEF resident gateway returns a response establishment IP-CAN session message to the BBERF resident gateway, and the response establishment IP-CAN session message carries the IP Address;

Step 510: The BBERF resident gateway receives the above response establishment IP-CAN session message, and returns a response establishment IP-CAN session message to the UE, and the response establishment IP-CAN session message carries IPAddress;

Through the above steps, after the UE establishes the IP-CAN session, it initiates service access. The UE will interact with the AF (such as SIP signaling) to determine service information for service access, such as media type, QoS parameter, coding type, etc. During this process, the UE will notify the AF that it supports the ECN capability, and the peer end of UE communication (such as another UE or AS (Application Server, Application Server)) will also notify the AF that it supports the ECN capability.

Step 511: After the negotiation is completed, the AF sends a service/application information message to the PCRF, which carries the IP Address of the UE and the negotiated service information, such as media type, QoS parameter, coding type, etc. Instructions to support ECN;

Step 512: PCRF returns a confirmation message to AF after saving the service information;

Step 513: PCRF makes policy decisions, formulates PCC and corresponding QoS rules according to subscription information, service information provided by AF, network policies, etc. And according to the indication that the wireless base station supports ECN sent by BBERF, and the indication that both communication parties support ECN sent by AF, set the QoS MBR>GBR of the PCC rule and QoS rule;

Step 514: The PCRF sends a policy and charging rule provision message to the PCEF, carrying the PCC rule formulated in step 513;

Step 515: PCEF installs PCC rules, and returns policy and charging rules to provide a confirmation message to PCRF;

Step 516: The PCRF sends a gateway control and QoS rule provision message to the BBERF, and the message carries the QoS rule formulated by the PCRF in step 513;

Step 517: BBERF returns gateway control and QoS rules to provide confirmation message to PCRF;

Step 518: BBERF implements the policy and initiates a resource reservation process, wherein resources are allocated according to GBR, and BBERF establishes a separate bearer for the service of MBR>GBR to transmit the service.

Among them, in the EPS system, the BBERF initiates the resource reservation process to the lower-layer network element as follows: the S-GW where the BBERF is located sends a bearer creation request to the MME, carrying the QoS information (including GBR and MBR) in the PCC rules, and the MME further sends a bearer request to the MME. The eNodeB sends a bearer establishment request carrying QoS information, and the eNodeB allocates resources for the bearer according to the GBR to provide guaranteed bandwidth. At the same time, when the load is light, the eNodeB allows the transmission rate of the business to reach the MBR.

Example 3

This embodiment describes the flow of PCRF update policy caused by UE establishing an IP-CAN session and accessing services as in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, and switching to a wireless base station that does not support ECN due to UE movement. The IP-CAN session of the UE does not have a BBERF. The specific process is shown in Figure 6, including the following steps:

Step 601: The UE accesses another wireless base station due to movement. During this process, the PCEF receives a request to modify the IP-CAN session message, which carries an indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN. The GW or the SGSN in the UMTS system, etc.) receives an indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN;

Among them, in the EPS system, the specific process of PCEF receiving the indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the UE supports ECN from the lower layer network element is as follows:

During the handover process of the UE, the request message sent by the target eNodeB to the MME does not carry the indication of supporting ECN, so the MME judges that the eNodeB does not support ECN, so the request message sent by the MME to the S-GW carries the indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN, The request message sent by the S-GW to the P-GW carries an indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN. In this way, the PCEF located in the P-GW obtains an indication that the eNodeB currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN;

Among them, in the UMTS system, the PCEF receives an indication from the lower layer network element whether the wireless base station accessed by the UE supports ECN or not. The specific process is as follows:

During the handover process of the UE, the request message sent by the target NodeB to the SGSN through the RNC does not carry the ECN support indication, so the SGSN judges that the NodeB does not support ECN, so the SGSN sends the request message to the GGSN to carry the wireless base station does not support the ECN indication. In this way, the PCEF located in the GGSN obtains an indication that the eNodeB currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN;

In other embodiments, the MME/SGSN may also determine that the target eNodeB/NodeB does not support ECN according to the configuration. Therefore, the SGSN sends an indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN in the request message sent to the GGSN, so that the PCEF located in the GGSN obtains the UE An indication that the currently accessed eNodeB does not support ECN;

In other embodiments, the MME/SGSN may not carry any indication that the wireless base station supports ECN, so finally, the PCEF judges that the base station currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN according to the indication that no wireless base station supports ECN.

Step 602: The PCEF sends an IP-CAN session modification indication message to the PCRF, and the IP-CAN session modification indication message carries an indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN or does not carry an indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN instruct;

Step 603: The PCRF receives the above IP-CAN session modification indication message, and updates the policy according to the indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN. In the QoS part of the PCC rule, set the GBR value to the MBR value;

Step 604: PCRF sends updated PCC rules to PCEF;

Step 605: PCEF executes the policy and initiates a resource reservation process.

Among them, in the EPS system, the PCEF initiates the resource reservation process to the lower network elements as follows: the P-GW where the PCEF is located sends a bearer modification request to the S-GW, carrying the QoS information (including GBR and MBR) in the PCC rules, and the S -The GW then sends a bearer modification request to the MME, and the MME further sends a bearer modification request to the eNodeB, carrying QoS information, and the eNodeB allocates resources for the bearer according to the GBR to provide guaranteed bandwidth. But at this time GBR and MBR are equal.

In the UMTS system, the resource reservation process initiated by the PCEF to the lower-layer network elements is as follows: the GGSN where the PCEF is located sends an initial PDP context modification request message to the SGSN, carrying the QoS information (including GBR and MBR) in the PCC rules, and the SGSN further sends the request message to the SGSN The UE sends a request for a second PDP context modification. Subsequently, the UE will initiate a second PDP context modification process, and the NodeB, SGSN, and GGSN will re-allocate resources for the bearer. The NodeB allocates resources for the bearer according to the GBR to provide guaranteed bandwidth. But at this time GBR and MBR are equal.

Example 4

This embodiment describes the flow of PCRF update policy caused by UE establishing an IP-CAN session and accessing services as in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, and switching to a wireless base station that does not support ECN due to UE movement. The IP-CAN session after UE handover has BBERF. The specific process is shown in Figure 7, including the following steps:

Step 701: Since the UE moves, it accesses another wireless base station. In this process, the target BBERF receives a request to modify the IP-CAN session message, which carries an indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN. S-GW) receives an indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN;

Among them, in the EPS system, the specific process of the target BBERF receiving the indication of whether the wireless base station accessed by the UE supports ECN from the lower layer network element is as follows:

During the handover process of the UE, the request message sent by the target eNodeB to the MME does not carry the ECN support indication, so the MME judges that the eNodeB does not support ECN, so the request message sent by the MME to the S-GW carries the wireless base station does not support the ECN indication. In this way, the BBERF located in the S-GW obtains an indication that the eNodeB currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN;

In other embodiments, the MME may also determine that the target eNodeB does not support ECN according to the configuration. The request message sent by the MME to the S-GW carries an indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN. In this way, the BBERF located in the S-GW obtains an indication that the eNodeB currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN;

In other embodiments, the request message sent by the MME to the BBERF may not carry any indication that the wireless base station supports ECN, so that finally, the BBERF judges that the base station currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN according to the indication that no wireless base station supports ECN.

Step 702: The target BBERF sends a gateway control session establishment instruction message to the PCRF, which carries the user ID, PDN ID and an indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN, or carries the user ID and PDN ID, and does not carry the UE's current An indication that the accessed wireless base station supports ECN;

Step 703: The PCRF associates the gateway control session with the IP-CAN session established in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 according to the user identifier and the PDN identifier. The PCRF updates the policy according to the indication that the wireless base station does not support the ECN. Update the QoS part of the PCC rule, set the GBR value to the MBR value, and formulate the QoS rule according to the updated PCC rule. PCRF sends QoS rules to the destination BBERF;

Step 704: The target BBERF executes the policy.

Among them, in the EPS system, the target BBERF initiates the resource reservation process to the lower network elements: the S-GW where the target BBERF is located sends a bearer modification request to the MME, carrying the QoS information in the QoS rule (including GBR, MBR), and the MME The bearer modification request is further sent to the eNodeB, carrying QoS information, and the eNodeB allocates resources for the bearer according to the GBR to provide guaranteed bandwidth. But at this time GBR and MBR are equal.

Step 705: The gateway where the destination BBERF is located sends a request to modify the IP-CAN session message to the gateway where the PCEF is located, and the message carries the user identifier and the PDN identifier;

Step 706: PCEF sends an IP-CAN session modification indication message to PCRF;

Step 707: PCRF returns the PCC rule updated in step 704 to PCEF;

Step 708: The gateway where the PCEF is located returns the IP address before switching to the gateway where the destination BBERF is located;

Step 709: The gateway where the destination BBERF is located returns a response modifying the IP-CAN session message, carrying an IP address.

If the wireless base station accessed by the UE when establishing a PDN connection does not support ECN, then in the present invention, BBERF/PCEF will receive an indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN or will not receive an indication that the wireless base station supports ECN. At this time, the BBERF /PCEF does not carry an indication that the wireless base station supports ECN or an indication that the wireless base station does not support ECN in the message sent to the PCRF, so that the PCRF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user does not support ECN, even if the AF received by the PCRF The service information carries an indication that both communicating parties support ECN, and in the QoS authorized by PCRF, the value of GBR is the value of MBR.

At this time, if the UE moves and the target wireless base station supports ECN, then BBERF/PCEF will receive an indication that the wireless base station supports ECN. At this time, BBERF/PCEF carries the indication that the wireless base station supports ECN in the message sent to PCRF, so that The PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user supports ECN. At this time, if the AF service information previously received by the PCRF carries an indication that both communicating parties support ECN, the PCRF will re-authorize the QoS in which the GBR value is smaller than the MBR value.

In all the above implementations, the indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN may also be an indication that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN-based congestion control, indicating that the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN-based congestion control Function. This function includes at least setting the congestion indication bit to indicate the occurrence of congestion when congestion occurs (that is, supports the ECN mechanism defined in RFC 3168). This function may also include ensuring no packet loss and/or meeting other QoS requirements (such as QCI characteristics) during the grace period after congestion is indicated using the ECN mechanism. Similarly, the indication that the radio base station currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN may also be an indication that the radio base station currently accessed by the UE does not support ECN-based congestion control. The PCRF judges whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN-based congestion control according to the above indication.

In other embodiments, the PCRF determines whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN or supports ECN-based congestion control according to the configuration information thereon. For example:

1) If all wireless base stations in a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network, public land mobile network) support or do not support ECN or ECN-based congestion control (that is, there is no partial support). The corresponding relationship between the PLMN and whether it supports ECN or whether it supports ECN-based congestion control is configured on the PCRF. Then, when the PCRF obtains the PLMN where the UE is currently located (this can be obtained according to the prior art), it can judge whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN or supports ECN-based congestion control.

2) If all wireless base stations in a tracking area TA (Track Area) or routing area (Routing Area) support or do not support ECN or ECN-based congestion control (that is, there is no partial support). The corresponding relationship between TA or RA and whether to support ECN or whether to support ECN-based congestion control is configured on the PCRF. Then, when the PCRF acquires the TA or RA where the UE is currently located, it can judge whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN or supports ECN-based congestion control.

3) A corresponding relationship between a cell (cell) and a wireless base station to which the cell belongs supports ECN or supports ECN-based congestion control is configured on the PCRF. When the PCRF obtains the cell where the UE is currently located, it can determine whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the UE supports ECN or whether it supports ECN-based congestion control.

The present invention also provides a policy charging control system based on network load, including a PCRF and a policy enforcement entity:

When the PCRF is used for policy decision-making, according to whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN and whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, set the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy to be greater than the guaranteed rate , or set the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy equal to the guaranteed rate, and deliver the policy to the policy enforcement entity;

The policy enforcement entity is configured to receive the policy from the PCRF, and execute the policy.

Wherein, the PCRF is used to set the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy to be greater than the guaranteed rate when the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, and the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN ; When the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN, or when the user equipment or its communication peer does not support ECN, set the maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy to be equal to the guaranteed rate.

Wherein, the PCRF is used to obtain from the AF whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF receives an indication from the AF that both communication parties support ECN, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the AF that both communication parties support ECN, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer do not support ECN.

Wherein, the system also includes PCEF or BBERF, wherein:

The PCRF is configured to obtain from the PCEF or BBERF whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF receives from the PCEF or the BBERF whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN When indicated, the PCRF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the PCEF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN, or, When the PCRF receives an indication from the PECF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN, the PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN; or,

The PCRF is configured to judge whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN according to the configuration information. .

Wherein, the system further includes an MME or an SGSN, the MME or the SGSN is configured to receive an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or determine the After whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN capability, send an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

Wherein, the system further includes an MME, and the MME is configured to receive an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or judge the current access of the user equipment according to the configuration information After whether the wireless base station of the user equipment supports the ECN capability, send an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

Wherein, the policy enforcement entity is PCEF, or PCEF and BBERF, and the PCRF sends the policy to the PCEF, or to the PCEF and the BBERF, and the PCEF, or the PCEF and the BBERF executes the policy.

The present invention also provides a policy charging control system based on network load, including a PCRF and a policy enforcement entity:

The PCRF is used for policy decision-making, according to whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control and whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN, and sets the maximum value in the quality of service information of the policy. If the rate is greater than the guaranteed rate, or the maximum rate in the QoS information of the policy is equal to the guaranteed rate, the policy is sent to the policy enforcement entity;

The policy enforcement entity is configured to receive the policy from the PCRF, and execute the policy.

Wherein, the PCRF is used to set the maximum value in the quality of service information of the policy when the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control, and the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN. The rate is greater than the guaranteed rate.

Wherein, the PCRF is used to set the The maximum rate in the quality of service information of the policy is equal to the guaranteed rate.

Wherein, the PCRF is used to obtain from the AF whether the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF receives an indication from the AF that both communication parties support ECN, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer support ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication from the AF that both communication parties support ECN, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and its communication peer do not support ECN.

Wherein, the system also includes PCEF or BBERF, wherein:

The PCRF is configured to obtain from the PCEF or BBERF whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF receives from the PCEF or the BBERF the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment When the base station supports an indication of ECN-based congestion control, the PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF does not receive the user equipment current An indication that the accessed wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control, or when the PCRF receives an indication from the PECF or the BBERF that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control, the The PCRF determines that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control; or

The PCRF is configured to judge whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control according to the configuration information.

Wherein, the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control means that the wireless base station supports ECN and ensures no packet loss and/or meets The quality of service class identifies the QCI characteristic.

Wherein, the system further includes MME or SGSN, wherein:

The MME or SGSN is configured to receive an indication of whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or determine the wireless network currently accessed by the user equipment according to configuration information. After whether the base station supports the ECN-based congestion control capability, an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN-based congestion control is sent to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

Wherein, the system further includes MME, wherein:

The MME is configured to receive an indication from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control, or determine whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN based on configuration information. After the ECN-based congestion control capability is enabled, an indication of whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control is sent to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

Claims (28)

1. A policy charging control method based on network load is characterized by comprising the following steps:

when a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) entity makes a policy decision, according to whether a wireless base station currently accessed by user equipment supports Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) and whether the user equipment and a communication opposite end thereof support ECN, setting the maximum rate in service quality information of the policy to be greater than a guaranteed rate, or setting the maximum rate in the service quality information of the policy to be equal to the guaranteed rate;

the PCRF sends the policy to a policy enforcement entity, and the policy enforcement entity enforces the policy;

the PCRF acquires whether the user equipment and a communication opposite end thereof support ECN or not from an application function entity (AF); when the PCRF receives an indication that both communication parties support ECN from the AF, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and the opposite communication terminal thereof support ECN; and when the PCRF does not receive an indication that both communication parties support ECN from the AF, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and the opposite communication terminal thereof do not support ECN.

2. The method of claim 1,

and if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN and the user equipment and the communication opposite end thereof support the ECN, the PCRF sets that the maximum rate in the service quality information of the strategy is greater than the guaranteed rate.

3. The method of claim 1,

and if the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN, or the user equipment or the communication opposite end thereof does not support ECN, the PCRF sets the maximum rate in the service quality information of the strategy to be equal to the guaranteed rate.

4. The method of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the method further comprises:

the PCRF acquires whether a wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN or not from a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) entity or a Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF) entity; when the PCRF receives an indication that a radio base station currently accessed by user equipment supports ECN from the PCEF or the BBERF, the PCRF judges that the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication that a radio base station currently accessed by user equipment supports ECN from the PCEF or the BBERF, or the PCRF receives an indication that the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN from the PCEF or the BBERF, the PCRF judges that the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN; or

And the PCRF judges whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN or not according to the configuration information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the PCEF obtains the indication of whether the radio base station accessed by the UE supports ECN according to:

and a mobile management entity MME or a serving GPRS supporting gateway SGSN receives an indication whether the wireless base station supports ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or after the MME or the SGSN judges whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN capability according to configuration information, the MME or the SGSN sends the indication whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to a gateway where the PCEF is located.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the BBERF obtains an indication of whether a radio base station accessed by a user equipment supports ECN by:

the MME receives an indication whether the wireless base station supports the ECN from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or after the MME judges whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN capability according to the configuration information, the MME sends the indication whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN to the gateway where the BBERF is located.

7. A policy charging control method based on network load is characterized by comprising the following steps:

when a Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF) entity makes a policy decision, setting the maximum rate in the service quality information of the policy to be greater than a guaranteed rate or setting the maximum rate in the service quality information of the policy to be equal to the guaranteed rate according to whether a wireless base station currently accessed by user equipment supports congestion control based on Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) and whether the user equipment and a communication opposite terminal thereof support the ECN;

the PCRF sends the policy to a policy enforcement entity, and the policy enforcement entity enforces the policy;

the PCRF acquires whether the user equipment and a communication opposite end thereof support ECN or not from an application function entity (AF); when the PCRF receives an indication that both communication parties support ECN from the AF, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and the opposite communication terminal thereof support ECN; and when the PCRF does not receive an indication that both communication parties support ECN from the AF, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and the opposite communication terminal thereof do not support ECN.

8. The method of claim 7,

and if the current accessed wireless base station of the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control and the user equipment and the communication opposite end thereof support ECN, the PCRF sets that the maximum rate in the service quality information of the strategy is greater than the guaranteed rate.

9. The method of claim 7,

and if the current accessed wireless base station of the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control, or the user equipment or the communication opposite end thereof does not support ECN, the PCRF sets the maximum rate in the service quality information of the strategy to be equal to the guaranteed rate.

10. The method of claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the method further comprises:

the PCRF acquires whether a wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control or not from a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) entity or a Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF) entity; when the PCRF receives an indication that a wireless base station currently accessed by user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control from the PCEF or the BBERF, the PCRF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF does not receive an ECN-based congestion control indication supported by a radio base station currently accessed by user equipment from the PCEF or the BBERF, or the PCRF receives an ECN-based congestion control indication not supported by the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment from the PCEF or the BBERF, the PCRF judges that the ECN-based congestion control is not supported by the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment; or

And the PCRF acquires whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control or not according to the configuration information.

11. The method according to claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supporting ECN based congestion control means that the radio base station supports ECN and after indicating congestion occurrence using the ECN, ensures that no packet is lost and/or quality of service class identity, QCI, characteristics are met for a graceful period of time.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the PCEF obtains the indication of whether the radio base station accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control according to:

and a mobile management entity MME or a serving GPRS supporting gateway SGSN receives an indication whether the wireless base station supports ECN-based congestion control from the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or after the MME or the SGSN judges whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control capability according to configuration information, the MME or the SGSN sends the indication whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control to a gateway where the PCEF is located.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the BBERF obtains an indication of whether a radio base station accessed by a user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control by:

the MME receives an indication whether the radio base station supports ECN-based congestion control from the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment, or after the MME judges whether the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN-based congestion control capability according to configuration information, the MME sends the indication whether the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN-based congestion control to a gateway where the BBERF is located.

14. A policy charging control system based on network load is characterized in that the system comprises a PCRF and a policy enforcement entity:

the PCRF is used for issuing the policy to a policy enforcement entity according to whether a wireless base station currently accessed by user equipment supports ECN and whether the user equipment and a communication opposite terminal thereof support ECN when making policy decision, wherein the maximum rate in the service quality information of the policy is set to be greater than a guaranteed rate, or the maximum rate in the service quality information of the policy is set to be equal to the guaranteed rate;

the policy enforcement entity is used for receiving the policy from the PCRF and enforcing the policy;

the system further comprises a PCEF or BBERF, wherein:

the PCRF is used for acquiring whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN or not from a PCEF or a BBERF; when the PCRF receives an indication that a radio base station currently accessed by user equipment supports ECN from the PCEF or the BBERF, the PCRF judges that the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN; when the PCRF does not receive an indication that a radio base station currently accessed by user equipment supports ECN from the PCEF or the BBERF, or the PCRF receives an indication that the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN from the PCEF or the BBERF, the PCRF judges that the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN; or

And the PCRF is used for judging whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN or not according to the configuration information.

15. The system of claim 14,

and the PCRF is used for setting that the maximum rate in the service quality information of the strategy is greater than the guaranteed rate when the wireless base station to which the user equipment is currently accessed supports the ECN and the user equipment and the communication opposite end thereof support the ECN.

16. The system of claim 14,

and the PCRF is used for setting the maximum rate in the service quality information of the strategy to be equal to a guaranteed rate when the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment does not support ECN or the user equipment or a communication opposite end thereof does not support ECN.

17. The system of claim 14, 15 or 16,

the PCRF is used for acquiring whether the user equipment and a communication opposite end thereof support ECN or not from AF; when the PCRF receives an indication that both communication parties support ECN from the AF, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and the opposite communication terminal thereof support ECN; and when the PCRF does not receive an indication that both communication parties support ECN from the AF, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and the opposite communication terminal thereof do not support ECN.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the system further comprises an MME or SGSN, wherein:

the MME or SGSN is configured to receive, from the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment, an indication whether the radio base station supports ECN, or send, after determining whether the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN capability according to the configuration information, the indication whether the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the system further comprises an MME, wherein:

the MME is configured to receive, from the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment, an indication whether the radio base station supports the ECN, or, after determining whether the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN capability according to configuration information, send, to the gateway where the BBERF is located, the indication whether the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports the ECN.

20. A policy charging control system based on network load is characterized in that the system comprises a PCRF and a policy enforcement entity:

the PCRF is used for issuing the policy to a policy enforcement entity according to whether a wireless base station currently accessed by user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control and whether the user equipment and a communication opposite terminal thereof support ECN or not when making policy decision, wherein the maximum rate in the service quality information of the policy is set to be greater than a guaranteed rate or the maximum rate in the service quality information of the policy is set to be equal to the guaranteed rate;

the policy enforcement entity is used for receiving the policy from the PCRF and enforcing the policy;

the PCRF is used for acquiring whether the user equipment and a communication opposite end thereof support ECN or not from AF; when the PCRF receives an indication that both communication parties support ECN from the AF, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and the opposite communication terminal thereof support ECN; and when the PCRF does not receive an indication that both communication parties support ECN from the AF, the PCRF judges that the user equipment and the opposite communication terminal thereof do not support ECN.

21. The system of claim 20,

and the PCRF is used for setting that the maximum rate in the service quality information of the strategy is greater than the guaranteed rate when the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control and the user equipment and the communication opposite end thereof support ECN.

22. The system of claim 20,

and the PCRF is used for setting the maximum rate in the service quality information of the strategy to be equal to the guaranteed rate when the current accessed wireless base station of the user equipment does not support the congestion control based on the ECN or the user equipment or the communication opposite end thereof does not support the congestion control based on the ECN.

23. The system of claim 20, 21 or 22, further comprising a PCEF or BBERF, wherein:

the PCRF is used for acquiring whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control or not from a PCEF or a BBERF; when the PCRF receives an indication that a wireless base station currently accessed by user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control from the PCEF or the BBERF, the PCRF judges that the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control; when the PCRF does not receive an indication that the current accessed wireless base station of the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control from the PCEF or the BBERF, or the PCRF receives an indication that the current accessed wireless base station of the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control from the PCEF or the BBERF, the PCRF judges that the current accessed wireless base station of the user equipment does not support ECN-based congestion control; or

And the PCRF is used for judging whether the wireless base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control or not according to the configuration information.

24. The system according to claim 20, 21 or 22, wherein the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supporting ECN based congestion control means that the radio base station supports ECN and after indicating congestion occurrence using the ECN, ensures that no packet is dropped and/or quality of service class identity, QCI, characteristics are met for a graceful period of time.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the system further comprises an MME or SGSN, wherein:

the MME or SGSN is configured to receive, from the radio base station to which the user equipment currently accesses, an indication whether the radio base station supports ECN-based congestion control, or send, after determining, according to the configuration information, whether the radio base station to which the user equipment currently accesses supports ECN-based congestion control capability, an indication whether the radio base station to which the user equipment currently accesses supports ECN-based congestion control to the gateway where the PCEF is located.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the system further comprises an MME, wherein:

the MME is configured to receive, from the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment, an indication whether the radio base station supports ECN-based congestion control, or after determining, according to configuration information, whether the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control capability, send, to the gateway where the BBERF is located, an indication whether the radio base station currently accessed by the user equipment supports ECN-based congestion control.

27. The method of claim 10, wherein the radio base station to which the user equipment is currently accessing supports ECN-based congestion control means that the radio base station supports ECN and ensures that no packet is dropped and/or quality of service class identity, QCI, characteristics are met for a graceful period of time after indicating congestion occurrence using the ECN.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the radio base station to which the user equipment is currently accessing supports ECN-based congestion control means that the radio base station supports ECN and ensures that no packet is dropped and/or quality of service class identity, QCI, characteristics are met for a graceful period of time after indicating congestion occurrence using the ECN.