JPH0955795A - Traffic management method for intelligent network - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable traffic management corresponding to a call kind when a plurality of service control procedures are to be followed in one call. SOLUTION: A service control node 5 transfers operation information consisting of a call kind, a service control procedure, a connection result, a service control start time, and a hold time to a traffic management part 6. The management part 6 generates tables of connection results, start times, and hold times by call kinds and service control procedures and store them in a storage part 6a, finds the numbers of completed procedures, the numbers of incomplete procedures, and mean hold times in unit times by the call kinds and service control procedures and stores them in a storage part 6c, and finds the numbers of completed calls, the numbers of incomplete calls, and mean hold times by the call kinds from the contents of the storage part 6c.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to traffic of communication services provided by an intelligent network,
In particular, the present invention relates to a traffic management method in the case where a procedure for providing a communication service in a service control node is performed a plurality of times during one call.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a telephone exchange network, additional communication services such as a toll-free service and a dial Q ² service are provided to diversify call connection forms and billing forms. These communication services are provided by a two-layered network consisting of a transmission system for performing basic switching connection of telephone services and a high-performance system for controlling connection control and charging control peculiar to additional communication services. This layered network is used to efficiently add or change additional communication services and is called an intelligent network.

That is, in this network, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, a communication terminal 1 is connected to a switching node 2 through a subscriber line 3, the switching node 2 performs circuit switching between arbitrary communication terminals 1 and a supplementary service call. Is detected, and any two switching nodes 2 are connected by a trunk line 4, each switching node 2 is connected to a service control node 5 via a call control signal line 7, and the service control node 5 is switched. In response to an inquiry from the node 2, connection control and charging control peculiar to the additional service are performed. This service control node 5
Is connected via a service control management signal line 8 to a traffic management operation system 6 which collects the operation information created thereby and manages the traffic of communication services. The communication terminal 1, the switching node 2, the subscriber line 3, and the relay line 4 are components that perform basic telephone service, and are collectively referred to as a transmission system 9. The service control node 5 and the traffic management operation system 6 are components that perform connection control and traffic management specific to the additional service, and are collectively referred to as a high function system 10.

Traffic management operation system 6
A traffic information inquiry terminal 11 having a traffic information inquiry function for
The traffic information of the intelligent network can be obtained by accessing the traffic management operation system 6 via. As an operation to maintain and maintain the connection quality of the communication service provided by the intelligent network, it is necessary to detect abnormal traffic and narrow down the traffic of the communication service that is the cause of the abnormality, and to provide the communication service whose traffic growth is remarkable. It is necessary to take measures such as adding new communication equipment. In order to reflect the traffic characteristics of each communication service in these operations, it is necessary to manage the traffic information corresponding to the type of communication service, the provider of the communication service, the contractor of the communication service, and the like. Examples of traffic information include the number of communication between terminals per unit time, the average holding time, and the like.

Here, a unit of information regarding traffic is defined. Individual communication required by a user of a communication service such as communication between specific terminals and data registration from a specific terminal to an intelligent network is called a call.
Further, calls of the same type such as communication between arbitrary terminals, communication between arbitrary regions, data registration from an arbitrary terminal to a network, etc. are collectively referred to as a call type. Examples of call types include communication originating from any fixed terminal and arriving at any mobile terminal, communication originating from any mobile terminal and arriving at any fixed terminal, and originating from any mobile terminal and arbitrary. Communication received at the mobile terminal of the above.

In the intelligent network, the service control node 5 uses the control logic and data peculiar to the type of communication service, the provider of the communication service, and the contractor of the communication service to carry out procedures for call switching connection and billing. The procedure in these service control nodes 5 is called a service control procedure. As an example of the service control procedure, when a specific terminal that subscribes to the supplementary service for the call origination makes a call, connection control of the supplementary service specific to the call origination is performed according to the contract content of the terminal. When an incoming call request is made to a specific terminal that has a service control procedure to be performed or an additional service for the incoming call, the connection of the additional service specific to the incoming call is made according to the contract content of the terminal. Examples include service control procedures for controlling.

The traffic information used for the traffic management of the intelligent network is focused on the characteristic factors of the call, such as the traffic for each type of communication service and the traffic for each area where the call is originated and received. It is necessary to express the tendency of traffic and manage traffic information in units of call types. Next, the realization method of the traffic management in the intelligent network is described.

As a method of managing traffic in units of call types of each communication service provided by the intelligent network, operation information is used as history information of call connection control and charging control at a communication node which is a constituent element of the intelligent network. There is a method of realizing traffic management on a call-type basis by editing and summing it up using a processing method specific to communication services and call types. This method is characterized in that it can be generally applied to traffic management for various communication services and call types. The case of applying this method will be described below.

In the conventional intelligent network, the service control procedure is simple, and connection control and charging control for one call can be realized by one service control procedure. Therefore, the service control node edits the operation information for each service control procedure, transfers it to the operation system that manages the traffic, and aggregates the operation information in the operation system that manages the traffic. I was able to manage traffic.

[0010]

In the intelligent network, it is general that a communication service for one call is realized by a plurality of service control procedures. in this case,
By preparing the service control procedure in the service control node as a general-purpose component that does not depend on a specific type of communication service, and performing the service control procedure for each communication service by combining the service control procedures that have been made into these components, It has the feature that it can be easily added or changed.

However, conventionally, when the service control procedure occurs a plurality of times during one call, the traffic information for each service control procedure and the traffic corresponding to the call type cannot be managed. An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art and to manage the traffic information for each service control procedure and the traffic corresponding to the call type by using the operation information for each service control procedure and the traffic management method for the intelligent network. Is to provide.

[0012]

In an intelligent network for providing an additional communication service required by a user by executing a plurality of service control procedures provided in a service control node, the traffic management method of the intelligent network according to the present invention comprises: (1) Operation in which the service control node has, as a result of executing the service control procedure, an information element for identifying a call type, an information element for identifying the service control procedure, and an information element used for processing traffic information The step of editing the information and transferring the operation information to the traffic management operation system, and (2) the traffic management operation system determines the operation information by the condition judgment for the information element of the operation information transferred from the service control node. Call type and service A step of classifying and storing for each control procedure, and a step of (3) processing the operation information stored by the step of (2) and obtaining and storing traffic information for each call type and each service control procedure. Have,
The invention according to claim 2 further comprises a step of performing processing peculiar to a call type on the traffic information stored in the step (3) and obtaining traffic information for each call type, thereby realizing traffic management. To do.

[0013]

By managing traffic for each service control procedure as described above, it is possible to reflect the addition of hardware, software, modification, repair, etc. corresponding to each service control procedure, and traffic for each call type. By realizing the management, it becomes possible to provide the traffic information for reflecting the characteristics of the traffic of the communication service to the operation for maintaining and managing the connection quality of the communication service provided by the intelligent network.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the invention of claim 2 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Here, a communication service using a mobile terminal will be considered as an example of the communication service provided by the intelligent network. In order to provide the communication service using the mobile terminal, the service control node 5 in FIG. 1 is provided with authentication information for determining that the mobile terminal is a valid terminal as information unique to each mobile terminal, and for the mobile terminal. As a procedure common to communication services using mobile terminals, which includes location information indicating the current location,
It is assumed that an authentication procedure that uses authentication information, a connection procedure that refers to location information, and a location information registration procedure are provided. In response to an inquiry from the switching node 2 to the service control node 5, the service control node 5 performs a procedure to provide a communication service by the mobile terminal.

FIG. 2 shows an example of procedures and types of call types for providing a communication service using a mobile terminal and their corresponding relationships. In each row of the figure, various procedures are represented using service control procedure identifiers. Service control procedure # 1 is the authentication procedure when there is a call from a mobile terminal.
Service control procedure # 2 is a connection procedure for acquiring location registration location information, service control procedure # 3 is an authentication procedure when an incoming call request is made to a mobile terminal, and service control procedure # 4 is location information of a mobile terminal. Represents the registration procedure of.

Further, the call types are represented in the respective columns in the figure by using the call type identifiers. Call type # 1 is a communication originating from any mobile terminal and arriving at any mobile terminal, call type # 2 is a communication originating from any mobile terminal and arriving at any fixed terminal, and call type # 3 is any communication. The call type # 4 represents communication that originates from a fixed terminal and is received by any mobile terminal, and the call type # 4 represents communication that registers position information of any mobile terminal.

Further, in the figure, “Procedure” means that the service control procedure of the corresponding row is performed with the call type of the corresponding column, and “No procedure” shows that the service type of the corresponding row of the corresponding column is displayed. Indicates that the service control procedure is not performed. When a service control procedure is performed in the service control node 5 in FIG. 1, the operation information editing unit 5a edits operation information in service control units. An example of operation information is shown in FIG.
Operation information is an information element used to classify operation information.
A service control procedure identifier 13, a call type identifier 14, a connection result identifier 15 for identifying whether the service control procedure is completed or not completed, and a service control start as information elements used for calculation (modification) of traffic information. It shall consist of time 16 and hold time 17.

In the following, as an example, consider a call type # 1 which represents communication originating from an arbitrary mobile terminal and terminating at an arbitrary mobile terminal. In this call type, as shown in the first column of the table of FIG. 2, as the service control procedure, service control procedure # 1 for authenticating the calling terminal and the switched connection of the telephone line between the calling terminal and the called terminal are connected. Service control procedure to perform #
2 and service control procedure for authenticating the receiving terminal #
By executing 3 in order, call control for one call is performed. When the communication is normally completed, three pieces of operation information corresponding to the service control procedures # 1, # 2, and # 3 are created. When the service control procedure # 1 or the service control procedure # 2 is not completed and the call ends, the subsequent service control procedure is not performed and the operation information for that is not created.

The operation information created by the operation information editing section 5a is transferred to the traffic management operation system 6 via the service management signal line 8. The traffic management operation system 6 classifies the received operation information according to the values of the service control procedure identifier 13 and the call type identifier 14 by the condition judgment for the information element, and stores the operation information in the operation information storage unit 6a. Operation information storage unit 6
It is assumed that a has a table for storing operation information for each call type and service control procedure. Operation information storage unit 6
An example of a is shown in FIG. In the figure, a table 18 is a table for storing operation information of call type # 1 and service control procedure # 1, that is, traffic information, and a table 19
Is a table for storing operation information of call type # 1 and service control procedure # 2, and table 20 is a table for storing operation information of call type # 1 and service control procedure # 3.

Traffic management operation system 6
The operation information processing unit 6b of the operation information storage unit 6a operates the table 18 and the operation information storage unit 6a using the service control start time 16 of the information element of the operation information as a search key in units of tables and traffic information total time units. The information is read, the traffic information is obtained, and stored in the intermediate traffic information storage unit 6c. An example of the intermediate traffic information storage unit 6c is shown in FIG. In the figure, the table 21 shows call type #
1 and a table for storing traffic information of service control procedure # 1, table 22 is a table for storing traffic information of call type # 1 and service control procedure # 2, and table 23 is a table for storing traffic information of call type # 1 and service control procedure # 3. A table for storing traffic information. Each table has a data storage area for storing three types of traffic information, that is, the number of completed procedures, the number of incomplete procedures, and the average hold time.

The operation information stored in the operation information storage unit 6a is processed to obtain traffic information for each procedure for connecting a call type and an additional communication service, and stored in the intermediate traffic information storage unit 6c. An example is given. In the operation information stored in the table 18, the operation information in which the value of the connection result identifier is “completion” is totaled, and the table 21 is used as the number of completion processes per unit time of the call type # 1 and the service control procedure # 1. It is saved in the storage area for the number of completed procedures. In addition, in the operation information stored in the table 18,
The operation information in which the value of the connection result identifier is “incomplete” is aggregated and stored in the storage area of the number of incomplete procedures in the table 21 as the number of incomplete processes per unit time of the call type # 1 and the service control procedure # 1. save. Further, of the operation information stored in the table 18, the average value of the holding time 17 of the operation information whose connection result identifier value is “complete” is calculated,
The average holding time per unit time of the call type # 1 and the service control procedure # 1 is stored in the average holding time storage area of the table 21.

Next, in the traffic information processing unit 6d, the traffic information is read from the intermediate traffic information storage unit 6c, and the logical information and the numerical operation are performed to obtain the traffic information for each call type, and the obtained traffic information is It is stored in the traffic information storage unit 6e. An example of the traffic information storage unit 6e is shown in FIG. In the figure, a table 24 is a table for storing traffic information of call type # 1. This table can store three types of traffic information, that is, the number of completed calls, the number of uncompleted calls, and the average hold time.

An example will be described in which traffic information for each call type is obtained from the traffic information stored in the intermediate traffic information storage unit 6c and stored in the traffic information storage unit 6e. Call type # 1 is service control procedure # 1, # 2, # 3
Since one call is controlled by sequentially executing, the number of completed calls of the call type # 1 is equal to the number of completed procedures of the call type # 1 and the service control procedure # 3. From this, the number of completed procedures of the call type # 1 and the service control procedure # 3 obtained by referring to the table 23 is stored in the data storage area of the number of completed calls of the table 24.

The number of incomplete calls of call type # 1 is the number of call types # 1.
And the number of incomplete procedures of service control procedure # 1, call type #
1 and the number of incomplete procedures of the service control procedure # 2 and the sum of the number of incomplete procedures of the call type # 1 and the service control procedure # 3. The value obtained by referring to the table 23 is stored in the data storage area for the number of incomplete calls in the table 24.

On the other hand, the average hold time of completed calls of call type # 1 is equal to the average hold time of call type # 1 and service control procedure # 3. From this, the average holding time of the call type # 1 and the service control procedure # 3 obtained by referring to the table 23 is stored in the data storage area of the average holding time of the table 24. From the traffic information inquiry terminal 16 having the information inquiry function for the traffic information storage unit 6e, the traffic information storage unit 6e is inquired through the signal line 17, whereby the traffic information corresponding to the call type, the number of completed calls,
The number of incomplete calls and average hold time can be obtained.

[0026]

As described above, according to the method of the present invention, the traffic management of the intelligent network for performing a plurality of service control procedures during one call can be realized for each service control procedure and each call type.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence relationship between call types and types of service control procedures.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an information structure of operation information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operation information storage unit 6a.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an intermediate traffic information storage unit 6c.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a traffic information storage unit 6e.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A transmission system for performing a basic switching connection of a communication service, a service control node for controlling connection control and charging control peculiar to an additional communication service, and management of traffic of the additional communication service. A traffic management method of an intelligent network, which comprises an operation system for performing the plurality of procedures in the service control node to provide the additional communication service requested by a user, wherein the service control node includes the addition As a result of executing a procedure for providing a typical communication service, an information element for identifying a call type, an information element for identifying the service control procedure, and an information element used for processing traffic information are used as elements. Edit the operation information and transfer to the traffic management operation system. And storing the operation information classified by the call type and the procedure for providing the additional communication service by the traffic management operation system according to the condition judgment for the information element of the operation information. An intelligent process characterized by the following steps: processing the stored operation information, and obtaining and storing traffic information for each procedure for providing the call type and the additional communication service. Network traffic management method. 2. The intelligent network according to claim 1, further comprising a step of obtaining traffic information for each call type by processing the stored traffic information according to the call type. Traffic management method.