CN113543056B

CN113543056B - 5G charging method and device for home routing scene

Info

Publication number: CN113543056B
Application number: CN202110793950.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 谢沛荣; 陈洁; 吕振华; 尹君; 梁灏泉
Original assignee: China Telecom Corp Ltd
Current assignee: China Telecom Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2021-07-14
Filing date: 2021-07-14
Publication date: 2022-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 2041-07-14
Also published as: CN113543056A

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a 5G charging method and device for a home routing scenario. The method comprises the following steps: establishing a home routing type Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session for a user in a roaming state; the intermediate session management function (I-SMF) issues a Usage Reporting Rule (URR) to the intermediate user plane function (I-UPF), and the I-UPF reports the usage information to the I-SMF according to the URR; I-SMF generates a charging message containing a settlement indication and sends the charging message to a roaming place Charging Gateway (CG); and the roaming place charging gateway generates a charging response message according to the settlement indication in the charging message and returns the charging response message to the I-SMF.

Description

5G charging method and device for home routing scene

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of communication charging.

Background

The roaming of 5G has two modes of local breakout and home routing. The current 3GPP standard specifies that in a home routing scenario, Charging interaction is performed between an a-SMF (Anchor SMF, Anchor session management Function) and a CHF (Charging Function) to which a user belongs.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. However, it should be understood that this summary is not an exhaustive overview of the disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The present disclosure provides a 5G charging method for a home routing scenario, which includes the steps:

establishing a home routing type Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session for a user in a roaming state;

the intermediate session management function (I-SMF) issues a Usage Reporting Rule (URR) to the intermediate user plane function (I-UPF), and the I-UPF reports the usage information to the I-SMF according to the URR;

I-SMF generates a charging message containing a settlement indication and sends the charging message to a roaming place Charging Gateway (CG); and

and the roaming place charging gateway generates a charging response message according to the settlement indication in the charging message and returns the charging response message to the I-SMF.

Further features of the invention and its advantages will become apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention which follows.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

The present disclosure may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a charging interaction according to the prior art.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a 5G charging method for a home routing scenario in accordance with the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates the charging process of the 5G subscriber in the home routing scenario in further detail.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a computing device capable of implementing embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings and is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The following description includes various details to aid understanding, but these details are to be regarded as examples only and are not intended to limit the disclosure, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. The words and phrases used in the following description are used only to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known structures, functions, and configurations may be omitted for clarity and conciseness. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the examples described herein can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

In the Charging interaction in the prior art, since the Charging interaction is performed by the a-SMF (Anchor SMF, Anchor session management Function) and the CHF (Charging Function) to which the user belongs, the Charging method cannot perform inter-provincial traffic settlement. Province a in the graph cannot know how much user traffic is specifically forwarded by province a; meanwhile, due to the mobility of the user, the charging message of province B is also difficult to accurately obtain the service traffic carried by province a, which results in that the operator cannot perform the inter-provincial/regional traffic settlement for the inter-provincial (or inter-regional) user of the home routing scene.

Aiming at the problem that inter-provincial (or inter-regional) charging settlement cannot be performed under the current home routing scene, the invention provides a brand-new 5G charging method for the home routing scene, so that inter-provincial charging settlement can be supported, and the influence on service development caused by the fact that inter-provincial settlement cannot be performed is avoided. The method can also realize the offline charging function of the roaming place.

Home routing in a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) is served by I-SMF (Intermediate Session Management Function) and I-UPF (Intermediate User Plane Function) at roaming sites.

In some embodiments, a home routing type PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session is established for the user in roaming state, as shown in step S201.

In some embodiments, as shown in step S202, usage information is collected by the I-SMF; the I-SMF sends URR (Usage Report Rule) to the I-UPF, and the I-UPF reports the Usage information to the I-SMF according to the URR.

In some embodiments, as shown in step S203, a charging message is generated by the I-SMF and sent to the CG at the local (i.e. visited place, roaming place); whenever a PDU session is newly established or an I-SMF is changed, the I-SMF judges whether the user has cross-province (or cross-region) roaming. For example, the I-SMF can determine whether a user has roamed across provinces (or across regions). Whether the user has cross-province (or cross-region) roaming can be judged by the domain name/IP difference between the I-SMF and the A-SMF.

If it is determined that the cross-province (or cross-regional) roaming occurs, the I-SMF generates a Charging message with a settlement indication for informing the CG, and sends the Charging message to a local CG (Charging Gateway), where the Charging message is only used for Charging settlement at the roaming place and should not be forwarded to a CHF (Charging Function). The charging message may be sent periodically or triggered by the collected traffic exceeding a pre-configured threshold. In some embodiments, the settlement indication in the charging request message containing the settlement indication sent by the I-SMF to the local CG indicates that this charging message is only used to generate an offline ticket, and does not need to be forwarded back to the CHF to which the user belongs. Accordingly, the local CG does not forward the charging message to the CHF to which the user belongs any more according to the settlement indication in the charging request message, but generates a charging response message by itself and returns the I-SMF.

If the I-SMF determines that the user has not roamed across provinces (or regions) (e.g., the I-SMF and the a-SMF both belong to the same province or region), the I-SMF does not send the charging message any more, and step S204 does not need to be executed.

In some embodiments, as shown in step S204, the CG generates a local ticket according to the charging message, and responds to the charging message to the I-SMF. The CG generates a local charging ticket according to the charging message sent by the I-SMF; and meanwhile, the CG directly generates a charging response message according to the settlement indication in the charging message and returns the charging response message to the I-SMF, and the CG does not forward the charging message to the CHF to which the user belongs.

Fig. 3 illustrates the charging process of the 5G subscriber in the home routing scenario in further detail. An example of the charging flow of the 5G subscriber in the home routing scenario comprises the following steps.

Step (1) creates a home routed PDU session. The user initiates a PDU session at the roaming site (a province) that created the home route. The session is managed by I-SMF control at the visited roaming site and by a-SMF control at the home site.

And (2) A-SMF sends a charging request message. The A-SMF collects the usage information reported by the I-SMF and the A-UPF (Anchor User Plane Function), and then sends a charging request message to a CG (control center) of a User home.

And (3) the user attribution CG generates an offline ticket.

And (4) the user home CG forwards the charging message to the CHF of the user home.

And (5) the CHF of the user home area returns a charging response message.

And (6) the user attribution CG forwards the charging response message to the A-SMF.

And (7) I-SMF sends a charging request message containing a settlement indication. The I-SMF judges that the user is in a cross-provincial roaming state according to domain names of the I-SMF and the A-SMF, and then the I-SMF sends a charging request message containing a settlement indication to a CG of a roaming place.

And (8) the CG at the roaming place generates an offline ticket.

And (9) the CG of the roaming place returns a charging response message. According to the settlement indication in the charging request, the CG of the roaming place knows that the charging message is only used for generating a local ticket and does not need to forward back the CHF to which the user belongs, and the CG of the roaming place automatically generates a charging response message and returns the charging response message to the I-SMF.

In the above-described flowchart, steps (7) - (9) and steps (2) - (6) may be performed concurrently.

The present disclosure has the following advantages and effects compared to the prior art. For example, the method and the device can realize the offline charging function of the roaming place of the routing scene of the 5G home location, support inter-provincial charging settlement, and avoid the influence on the development of the 5G service caused by the fact that inter-provincial settlement cannot be carried out.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a computing device 400 capable of implementing embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure.

Computing device 400 is an example of a hardware device to which the above-described aspects of the disclosure can be applied. Computing device 400 may be any machine configured to perform processing and/or computing. Computing device 400 may be, but is not limited to, a workstation, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a Personal Data Assistant (PDA), a smart phone, an in-vehicle computer, or a combination thereof.

As shown in fig. 4, computing device 400 may include one or more elements that may be connected to or in communication with bus 402 via one or more interfaces. Bus 402 can include, but is not limited to, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, an enhanced ISA (eisa) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, and the like. Computing device 400 may include, for example, one or more processors 404, one or more input devices 406, and one or more output devices 408. The one or more processors 404 may be any kind of processor and may include, but are not limited to, one or more general purpose processors or special purpose processors (such as special purpose processing chips). The processor 404 may be configured to perform the method illustrated in fig. 2, for example. Input device 406 may be any type of input device capable of inputting information to a computing device and may include, but is not limited to, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone, and/or a remote control. Output device 408 may be any type of device capable of presenting information and may include, but is not limited to, a display, speakers, a video/audio output terminal, a vibrator, and/or a printer.

The computing device 400 may also include or be connected to a non-transitory storage device 414, which non-transitory storage device 414 may be any non-transitory and may implement a data storage device, and may include, but is not limited to, a disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid state memory, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a compact disk, or any other optical medium, a cache memory, and/or any other memory chip or module, and/or any other medium from which a computer may read data, instructions, and/or code. The computing device 400 may also include Random Access Memory (RAM)410 and Read Only Memory (ROM) 412. The ROM 412 may store programs, utilities or processes to be executed in a nonvolatile manner. The RAM 410 may provide volatile data storage and store instructions related to the operation of the computing device 400. Computing device 400 may also include a network/bus interface 416 coupled to a data link 418. The network/bus interface 416 may be capable of being enabled and disabledAny kind of device or system for device and/or network communication, and may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and/or a chipset (such as bluetooth)^TMDevices, 802.11 devices, WiFi devices, WiMax devices, cellular communications facilities, etc.).

The present disclosure may be implemented as any combination of apparatus, systems, integrated circuits, and computer programs on non-transitory computer readable media. One or more processors may be implemented as an Integrated Circuit (IC), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI), a system LSI, or a super LSI, or as an ultra LSI package that performs some or all of the functions described in this disclosure.

The present disclosure includes the use of software, applications, computer programs or algorithms. Software, applications, computer programs, or algorithms may be stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium to cause a computer, such as one or more processors, to perform the steps described above and depicted in the figures. For example, one or more memories store software or algorithms in executable instructions and one or more processors may associate a set of instructions to execute the software or algorithms to provide various functionality in accordance with embodiments described in this disclosure.

Software and computer programs (which may also be referred to as programs, software applications, components, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and may be implemented in a high-level procedural, object-oriented, functional, logical, or assembly or machine language. The term "computer-readable medium" refers to any computer program product, apparatus or device, such as magnetic disks, optical disks, solid state storage devices, memories, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions or data to a programmable data processor, including a computer-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a computer-readable signal.

By way of example, computer-readable media can comprise Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), electrically erasable read only memory (EEPROM), compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired computer-readable program code in the form of instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Disk or disc, as used herein, includes Compact Disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The subject matter of the present disclosure is provided as examples of apparatus, systems, methods, and programs for performing the features described in the present disclosure. However, other features or variations are contemplated in addition to the features described above. It is contemplated that the implementation of the components and functions of the present disclosure may be accomplished with any emerging technology that may replace the technology of any of the implementations described above.

Additionally, the above description provides examples, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in other embodiments.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

Claims

1. A5G charging method for home routing scenario includes the following steps:

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the I-SMF determines whether the user has roaming across provinces each time a PDU session is newly established or the I-SMF is changed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

if the user is judged to have the cross-provincial roaming, the I-SMF generates a charging message and sends the charging message to a charging gateway of the roaming area,

and if the user is judged not to have the trans-provincial roaming, the I-SMF does not send the charging message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein,

the I-SMF judges whether the user has cross-province roaming by judging whether the I-SMF and an anchor point session management function (A-SMF) belong to the same province.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein,

and judging whether the I-SMF and the A-SMF belong to the same province or not through the domain name or IP difference of the I-SMF and the A-SMF.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein,

the charging message is used for roaming charging settlement and the charging message is not forwarded to a subscriber home charging function (CHF).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the charging message is sent periodically or when the collected traffic exceeds a pre-configured threshold.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein,

the PDU session is managed by the I-SMF control at roaming and by the A-SMF control at home.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

A-SMF sends a charging request message to collect the usage information reported by I-SMF and anchor user plane function (A-UPF), and then sends the charging request message to a user home charging gateway;

the user home location charging gateway generates an offline ticket;

the user home charging gateway forwards a charging message to a user home charging function (CHF);

the user home location charging function (CHF) returns a charging response message;

the subscriber home charging gateway forwards the charging answer message to the a-SMF.

10. A 5G charging apparatus for a home routing scenario, comprising:

a memory having instructions stored thereon; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 9.

11. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1-9.