KR101544898B1 - System and method for synchronizing service policy - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for synchronizing a service policy of a communication terminal connected with a multiple APN (Access Point Name). A system for synchronizing service policies of a communication terminal connected with a multi APN (Access Point Name) according to the present invention includes a first PCRF (Policy and Charging Rule Function) applying a service policy to a communication terminal connected to the first APN, ; A second PCRF for applying a service policy for a communication terminal connected to a second APN; And receiving the service use information from each of the first PCRF and the second PCRF, analyzing the received service use information and determining that the status of the basic service product information registered by the communication terminal is changed, And a Subscriber Profile Repository (SPR) for synchronizing the service policies between the PCRFs by reflecting the newly applied service policy to the first PCRF and the second PCRF according to the change of the information.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZING SERVICE POLICY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for synchronizing a service policy of a communication terminal, and more particularly, to a method and system for synchronizing a service policy of a communication terminal connected by a multiple access point name (APN).

With the development of mobile communication systems today, communication services based on the LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication system, which is the next generation mobile communication technology, are underway. The LTE communication system supports a variety of services based on packet data transmission, and supports a maximum bandwidth of 20 MHz, a maximum downlink transmission rate of 100 Mbps, and a transmission rate of uplink 50 Mbps.

Meanwhile, studies on an IP multimedia subsystem (hereinafter referred to as 'IMS') for transmitting and receiving multimedia media such as voice, audio, and video based on the Internet protocol have been continuously carried out. The following patent documents disclose an IMS network-based billing system.

The communication terminal attempts to access the PDS (Packet Data Network) corresponding to the APN (Access Point Name) preferentially to access the IMS through the LTE communication system. Then, the packet data network gateway (PGW), which is a gateway corresponding to the APN, receives and applies the policy information of the communication terminal from the Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF), and forms a session between the IMS and the communication terminal.

However, if the communication terminal accesses different PDNs using a plurality of APNs, it can be accommodated in separate PGWs and PCRFs. In this case, since the different PCRFs execute the independent service policy, there is a problem that the service contrary to the intention of the user of the communication provider or the communication terminal is performed.

Korean Patent No. 10-0996643

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a service policy synchronization method and system for synchronizing service policies of respective PCRFs when communication terminals connected by multiple APNs are accommodated in separate PCRFs.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto. It will also be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for synchronizing a service policy of a communication terminal connected with a multi APN (Access Point Name), comprising: A first Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF); A second PCRF for applying a service policy for a communication terminal connected to a second APN; And receiving the service use information from each of the first PCRF and the second PCRF, analyzing the received service use information and determining that the status of the basic service product information registered by the communication terminal is changed, And a SPR (Subscriber Profile Repository) for synchronizing a service policy between the PCRFs by reflecting the newly applied service policy to the first PCRF and the second PCRF according to the change of the information.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of synchronizing policies of a communication terminal connected through a plurality of Access Points (APNs) in a communication system including a plurality of Policy and Charging Rule Functions (PCRFs) A first reporting step of collecting service use information of a communication terminal connected by the first PCRF to the first APN and reporting the service use information to a Subscriber Profile Repository (SPR); A second reporting step of collecting service usage information of a communication terminal connected to the second APP by the second PCRF and reporting the service usage information to the SPR; The SPR analyzing the service use information of the communication terminal received from each PCRF and discriminating whether the state of the basic service product information subscribed by the communication terminal is changed or not; And transmitting, to the first PCRF and the second PCRF, a message instructing application of a new service policy according to a change of the basic service product information, when the status of the basic service product information is changed as a result of the determination by the SPR; And a policy applying step of causing each of the first PCRF and the second PCRF to change and apply a service policy of the communication terminal based on the message.

In order to achieve the above object, a system for synchronizing a service policy of a real-time usage-type communication terminal connected with a multi APN (Access Point Name) according to the third aspect of the present invention includes: A first Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF) for applying an Internet service policy; A second PCRF applying an IMS service policy for the communication terminal connected to the IMS APN; And receiving the service usage amount of the communication terminal from each of the first PCRF and the second PCRF, updating the service allowable amount of the communication terminal based on the received service usage amount, and when the updated service allowable amount is exhausted, And a SPR (Subscriber Profile Repository) for transmitting a service policy indicating the first PCRF and the second PCRF to the first PCRF and the second PCRF, respectively, wherein the first PCRF blocks general Internet service according to a service policy received from the SPR, And the second PCRF blocks the IMS service according to the service policy received from the SPR.

When a communication terminal is connected to a multi APN and a service policy is applied through a plurality of PCRFs, if a change of the basic service policy of the communication terminal is detected, the application of the changed service policy is instructed to each PCRF, So that it is possible to maintain the consistency of the service provided to the communication terminal.

In addition, the present invention allows a plurality of PCRFs to apply a policy to limit the use of an IMS service and a general Internet service when a communication terminal subscribed to a real-time usage rate plan uses all the allowed service usage amounts, It is possible to prevent a situation in which a communication terminal can continuously use the communication service through the IMS APN or the general Internet APN.

In addition, since the present invention applies a changed service policy in conjunction with a plurality of PCRFs when a Subscriber Profile Repository (SPR) detects a basic service policy of a communication terminal connected by a multi APN, There is also an advantage of easy compatibility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. And shall not be construed as limited to such matters.
1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a service policy synchronization system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B are flowcharts illustrating a method of monitoring service usage of a communication terminal connected to a multi APN in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for synchronizing policies of communication terminals connected by multiple APNs in a communication system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: There will be. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a service policy synchronization system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the service policy synchronization system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a base station 210, a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 220, (SGW) 230, a plurality of packet data network gateways (PGWs) 240-N, a plurality of policies and a policy and a Charging Rule Function (PCRF) 250-N and a Subscriber Profile Repository (SPR) 260. The IP Multimedia Subsystem (Hereinafter referred to as a 'CSCF') 310 belonging to the IMS 300 (hereinafter referred to as 'IMS').

The communication terminal 100 may be referred to as another term such as a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a user terminal (UT), or a subscriber station (SS) The communication terminal 100 uses a mobile communication network in which an LTE network including an EUTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) is interworked. In addition, the communication terminal 100 may use a mobile communication network in which a WCDMA network including a UTRAN is interworked. For example, a conventional mobile phone such as a cellular phone, a PCS phone, a GSM phone, a CDMA-2000 phone, a WCDMA phone, etc., and a mobile phone using a smart phone, a tablet PC and a 4G network, ). In the communication terminal 100, a USIM card having an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) value for identifying and authenticating a subscriber is inserted.

Particularly, according to the present invention, the communication terminal 100 accesses a PDN corresponding to an Internet APN (Access Point Name) and a PDN corresponding to an IMS APN, and then receives a communication service. That is, the communication terminal 100 is concurrently connected to multiple APNs (Access Point Names), and is accommodated in a plurality of PGWs 240-N and PCRFs 250-N corresponding to respective connection points.

The base station 210 provides mobile communication to the communication terminal 100 via an air interface as an e-NodeB. The base station 210 has radio resource management (RRM) functions such as radio bearer control, radio admission control, dynamic radio resource allocation, load balancing, and intercell interference control (ICIC).

The MME 220 provides the mobility management and session management functions of the communication terminal 100 through the EUTRAN as a control plane entity and NAS (Non Access Stratum) signaling. In addition, the MME 220 manages the mobility state of the subscriber, and manages, for example, which communication network the communication terminal 100 is currently connected to, the idle state, and which other entity it is connected to .

The SGW 230 is a device for managing the mobility of the communication terminal 100 between the base station 210 and the other base station 210 and between the 3GPP network and the EUTRAN and is a device for managing payload traffic Control function. That is, the SGW 230 operates as an anchoring point for handover between the base stations 210 and handover between 3GPP systems.

The PGW 240-N connects the communication terminal 100 with an external packet data network (hereinafter, referred to as 'PDN') 400, provides IP routing and forwarding functions, and provides packet filtering. In addition, the PGW 240-N allocates the IP address of the communication terminal 100, and when the handover between the SGW 230 or the LTE communication system and the non-3GPP network (e.g., WiMax) It operates as an anchoring point. In addition, the PGW 240-N receives the Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rule from the PCRF 250-N and provides a policy enforcement (charging) function. It is done differently.

In particular, according to the present invention, the PGW 240-N has a gate function corresponding to the APN, and the PGC 240-N transmits a PCC (250-N) for the communication terminal 100 to a specific PCRF 250- Policy and Charging Control (CCR) message, and receives a Credit Control Answer (CCA) message to the PCRF 250-N. Preferably, the PGW 240-N stores the policy of the communication terminal 100 connected thereto and the identification information of the PCRF 250-N that is in charge of accounting, and the PCRF 250-N corresponding to the identification information ≪ / RTI > In addition, the PGW 240-N applies a policy corresponding to the received PCC rule to the service policy of the communication terminal 100. [ Also, the PGW 240-N may monitor the service usage of the communication terminal 100 and report the monitored usage information to the designated PCRF 250-N.

The PCRF 250-N determines a service policy for each communication terminal 100 and a rule for charging, that is, a policy and charging control (PCC) rule, as a policy and an accounting control entity. For example, the PCRF 250-N determines rules for whether the communication terminal 100 is to use QoS (Quality of Service) information, offline charging, or online charging. In particular, upon receiving a CCR (Credit Control Request) message from the PGW 240-N, the PCRF 250-N determines the PCC rules of the communication terminal 100 and transmits a CCA ) Message to the PGW 240-N. Upon receiving the AAR (AA-Request) message from the CSCF 310, the PCRF 250-N authenticates the service requested by the communication terminal 100 and transmits the authentication result to the CSCF 310.

The PCRF 250-N reports the service usage amount information of the specific communication terminal 100 to the SPR 260 so that the service usage amount information of the communication terminal 100 stored in the SPR 260 is updated. When the PCRF 250-N receives the Update Profile Request message reflecting the policy change information of the communication terminal 100 from the SPR 260, the PCRF 250-N changes the policy of the communication terminal 100 , And transmits the Re-Auth-Request message based on the changed policy to the PGW 240-N to which the communication terminal 100 is connected, so that the changed policy is applied to the service of the communication terminal 100.

The SPR 260 stores subscriber profiles for policies and charges for each subscriber. The subscriber profile stores basic service product information and service allowable amount information subscribed to each communication terminal 100, and is transmitted to the PCRF 250-N to be referred to in determining the PCC rule. In particular, when the status of the basic service product information of the communication terminal 100 is changed, the SPR 260 instructs the plurality of PCRFs 250-N to change the service policy, and the changed service policies are transmitted to the PCRF 250- N). That is, when the basic service product information to which the communication terminal 100 connected to the multi APN is subscribed is changed, the SPR 260 transmits the service policy change according to the changed service product information to the plurality of PCRFs 250-N , And the changed service policies are synchronized among the different PCRFs 250-N that are in charge of the policy of one communication terminal 100.

The packet data network 400 (PDN) includes the Internet and the like. In this case, the Internet is used for various services existing in the upper layer of the TCP / IP protocol, that is, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Telnet, File Transfer Protocol (DNS), Domain Name System (DNS), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (NFS), Network Information Service (NIS), and so on.

The CSCF 310 of the IMS 300 establishes or controls the session of the communication terminal 100 in cooperation with the PCRF 250-N of the LTE communication system and also transmits the IP-based multimedia communication service (I.e., IMS communication service). The CSCF 310 communicates with the communication terminal 100 through a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) message. The CSCF 310 includes a P-CSCF (Proxy-CSCF), an I-CSCF (Interrogating-CSCF), and an S-CSCF (Serving-CSCF).

In the following description with reference to FIGS. 2A to 3, PGW-1 240-1 is a gateway for a general internet APN dedicated to a general Internet service, PGW-2 240-2 is a gateway for an IMS APN dedicated to an IMS service It is assumed to be a gateway. In addition, it is assumed that the PGW-1 240-1 and the PCRF-1 250-1 cooperate with each other, the PGW-2 240-2 and the PCRF-2 250-2 cooperate with each other, It is assumed that the user of the terminal 100 is subscribed to the real-time usage management plan. The real-time usage management plan is a plan to manage usage in real time and limits the service allowable amount. The service allowable amount can be updated through charge of the user and can be set to be constant on a monthly basis according to the detailed subscription history.

2A and 2B are flowcharts illustrating a method of monitoring service usage of a communication terminal connected to a multi APN in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, when the communication terminal 100 accesses through the general Internet APN, the LTE network generates a default bearer for transmitting and receiving Internet data (S201). That is, when the communication terminal 100 accesses using the general Internet APN, the PGW-1 240-1 can communicate with the base station 210, the MME 220 and the SGW 230 belonging to the LTE network, QoS Class ID) Assign a default bearer corresponding to 6 (QCI = 6) to the communication terminal 100.

Next, the PGW-1 240-1 confirms the type of the mobile communication network to which the communication terminal 100 is connected, and recognizes that the communication terminal 100 is connected to the LTE network. Then, the PGW-1 240-1 transmits a CCR (Credit Control Request) message requesting the PCC (Policy and Charging Control) rule to the PCRF-1 250-1 associated therewith (S203). At this time, the PGW-1 240-1 transmits the communication network information (i.e., RAT-Type = EUTRAN), the identification information of the communication terminal 100 (e.g., IMSI) And records it in the CCR message.

Then, the PCRF-1 250-1 transmits a Profile Request message requesting the subscriber profile to the SPR 260 (S205). At this time, the PCRF-1 250-1 records the identification information of the communication terminal 100 in the Profile Request. Next, the SPR 260 extracts the subscriber profile corresponding to the identification information of the communication terminal 100.

Then, the SPR 260 determines whether the user of the communication terminal 100 is subscribed to the real-time usage charge plan based on the basic service product information (i.e., subscription plan information) included in the extracted subscriber profile. Next, if the communication terminal 100 is subscribed to the real-time usage charge plan, the SPR 260 determines whether the service allowable amount remains. In the description with reference to Figs. 2A to 3, it is described that the user of the communication terminal 100 is subscribed to the real-time usage management plan.

Next, when the service allowable amount remains, the SPR 260 transmits the basic service product information of the communication terminal 100, a Granted Service Unit (GSU) and a quality indicator of the service 1 250-1 (Step S207), which includes a profile response message (hereinafter referred to as "QI") parameter. The GSU is recorded with the amount of service-approved data, and the amount of data that is set as a policy is recorded in this GSU. That is, the GSU records not only the total data amount allowed to the communication terminal 100 but also the amount of data that is set as a policy to monitor the data of the communication terminal 100 in real time. In addition, the QI parameter is information indicating whether or not the service is allowed, and the PCRF 250-N sets a policy for allowing the service of the communication terminal 100 or setting a policy for blocking the service according to the QI parameter.

Next, the PCRF-1 250-1 confirms the QI parameter in the profile response message received from the SPR 260, and if the QI parameter is a parameter allowing the service (for example, QI = 0) The service policy is set based on the basic service product information and the GSU included in the response message, and the CCA message instructing the application of the service policy is transmitted to the PGW-1 240-1 (S209). That is, the PCRF-1 250-1 transmits to the PGW-1 240-1 a command for applying the basic service product information to the default bearer, a usage monitoring command, and a CCR message in which the GSU is recorded.

Then, the PGW-1 240-1 applies the basic service product information to the default bearer corresponding to QCI = 6 based on the command recorded in the CCR message (S211). At this time, the PGW-1 240-1 may check the QoS corresponding to the basic service product information and apply the QoS to the default bearer. In FIG. 2, PGW-1 240-1 is described as applying the LTE-STYLE plan, which is a real-time usage management plan, to the default bearer. In addition, the PGW-1 240-1 monitors the usage amount of the communication terminal 100 in response to the usage monitoring command and the GSU being recorded in the CCR message. Then, the packet corresponding to the size of the GSU is transmitted to the communication terminal 100 ), It reports to the SPR (260).

Meanwhile, when the communication terminal 100 accesses the IMS APN through the LTE network, the LTE network generates a default bearer for transmitting and receiving IMS data (S213). That is, when the communication terminal 100 accesses using the IMS APN, the PGW-2 240-2 communicates with the base station 210, the MME 220, and the SGW 230 belonging to the LTE network, Class ID) A default bearer with a rank of 5 (QCI = 5) is assigned to the communication terminal 100.

Next, the PGW-2 240-2 confirms the type of the mobile communication network to which the communication terminal 100 is connected, and recognizes that the communication terminal 100 is connected to the LTE network. Then, the PGW-2 240-2 transmits a CCR (Credit Control Request) message requesting the PCC (Policy and Charging Control) rule to the PCRF-2 250-2 (S215). The PGW-2 240-2 transmits the communication network information (i.e., RAT-Type = EUTRAN), the identification information (e.g., IMSI) of the communication terminal 100 and the IMS APN to which the communication terminal 100 is connected Record in the CCR message.

Then, the PCRF-2 250-2 transmits a Profile Request message requesting the subscriber profile to the SPR 260 (S217). At this time, the PCRF-2 250-2 records the identification information of the communication terminal 100 in the Profile Request. Next, the SPR 260 extracts the subscriber profile corresponding to the identification information of the communication terminal 100.

Then, the SPR 260 determines whether the user of the communication terminal 100 is subscribed to the real-time usage charge plan based on the basic service product information included in the extracted subscriber profile. Next, if the communication terminal 100 is subscribed to the real-time usage charge plan, the SPR 260 determines whether the service allowable amount remains.

Next, the SPR 260 transmits a profile response message (Profile Answer) including the basic service product information, GSU and QI parameters of the communication terminal 100 to the PCRF-2 250-2 (S219). At this time, the SPR 260 records a service allowance parameter (e.g., QI = 0) as the QI parameter as the service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 remains.

Next, the PCRF-2 250-2 confirms the QI parameter, basic service product information, and GSU in the profile response message received from the SPR 260, sets a policy based on the confirmed information, And transmits a CCA message instructing the application to the PGW-1 240-1 (S221). That is, the PCRF-2 250-2 transmits a CBR message including an IMS-CRBN (Charging Rule Base Name) application command for instructing charging of the IMS-based bearer to the default bearer, 2).

Then, the PGW-2 240-2 applies an IMS-based charging policy IMS-CRBN to the default bearer corresponding to QCI = 5 based on the command recorded in the CCR message (S231). At this time, the PGW-2 240-2 may determine the QoS based on the basic service product information of the communication terminal 100 recorded in the CCR message, and allocate resources corresponding to the determined QoS to the default bearer . In addition, the PGW-2 240-2 monitors the IMS usage of the communication terminal 100 as the usage monitoring command and the GSU are recorded in the CCR message, and then the packet corresponding to the size of the GSU is transmitted to the communication terminal 100), it reports to the SPR (260).

In this way, when the communication terminal 100 is connected to the multiple APNs (i.e., PGW-1 240-1 and PGW-2 240-2 are connected), the communication terminal 100 transmits an IMS signaling message (I.e., a SIP message) to the CSCF 310 (S233).

Then, the CSCF 310 of the IMS 300 interprets the IMS signal to check the service requested by the communication terminal 100, and determines the media type, service port number, service QoS, service ID, session ID, To the PCRF-2 250-2 (AA-Request) message including the service information of the PCRF-2 (S235). Next, the PCRF-2 250-2 authenticates the service requested by the communication terminal 100 based on the information included in the AA-Request message, and transmits the AA-Answer message including the authentication result to the CSCF 310 (S237). When the service authentication of the communication terminal 100 is successful, the PCRF-2 250-2 determines the QoS for the service and transmits a Re-Auth-Request message in which a plurality of PCC rules based on the determined QoS are recorded 2 to the PGW-2 240-2, and instructs the PGW-2 240-2 to generate a dedicated bearer for the service requested by the communication terminal 110 (S239). At this time, the PCRF-2 250-2 records the usage confirmation parameter in the Re-Auth-Request message, thereby monitoring packets transmitted and received through the dedicated bearer in the PGW-2 240-2. In the description with reference to FIG. 2, PCC rule 1 indicating the dedicated bearer generation corresponding to QCI = 6 is expressed as recorded in the Re-Auth-Request message.

Next, the PGW-2 240-2 transmits the Re-Auth-Answer message, which is a response message of the Re-Auth-Request, and then transmits the Re-Auth-Request message received from the PCRF- Message and generates a dedicated bearer corresponding to QCI = 6 in cooperation with the base station 210, the SGW 230, and the base station 210 based on the PCC rule (S241, S243).

When a plurality of bearers are generated by the plurality of PGWs 240-N and the data of the communication terminal 100 are respectively transmitted and received through the bearer, each PGW 240-N transmits the bearer to the communication terminal 100) service usage.

Specifically, the PGW-1 240-1 confirms the usage amount (that is, the packet amount) of the communication terminal 100 through the bearer to which the LTE-STYLE rate policy is applied (S245). When PGW-1 240-1 reaches the approved usage amount recorded in the GSU received from PCRF-1 250-1, the PGW-1 240-1 transmits the USU (Used Service Unit) The CCR message in which the identification information of the terminal 100 is recorded is transmitted to the PCRF-1 250-1 (S247). Then, the PCRF-1 250-1 confirms the identification information of the USU and the communication terminal 100 in the CCR message, and transmits the profile request message in which the identification information of the USU and the communication terminal 100 are recorded to the SPR 260 To request the update of the service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 (S249).

Next, the SPR 260 checks the service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 based on the identification information of the communication terminal 100 recorded in the profile update request message, and calculates a usage amount corresponding to the USU The service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 is updated. Then, the SPR 260 returns the profile response message (Profile Answer) including the GSU to the PCRF-1 250-1 again if the updated service allowable amount is not exhausted (that is, the service allowable amount still remains) (S251). Then, the PCRF-1 250-1 confirms the GSU in the profile response message received from the SPR 260, transmits the CCA message including the GSU to the PGW-1 240-1 (S253) When the communication terminal 100 again uses the service usage amount corresponding to the size of the GSU, the PGW-1 240-1 controls to transmit the CCR message including the USU.

In addition, the PGW-2 240-2 checks the data usage amount of the communication terminal 100 through the dedicated bearer applied to the PCC-Rule1 (S255). When PGU-2 240-2 reaches the GSU (i.e., approved usage amount) received from PCRF-2 250-2, the PGW-2 240-2 transmits a USU (Used Service Unit) indicating the usage amount information, The CCR message in which the identification information of the communication terminal 100 is recorded is transmitted to the PCRF-2 250-2 (S257). Then, the PCRF-2 250-2 confirms the identification information of the USU and the communication terminal 100 in the CCR message, and transmits the profile request message in which the identification information of the USU and the communication terminal 100 are recorded to the SPR 260 To request the update of the service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 (S259).

Next, the SPR 260 checks the service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 based on the identification information of the communication terminal 100 recorded in the profile update request message, and calculates a usage amount corresponding to the USU The service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 is updated. Then, the SPR 260 returns the profile response message (Profile Answer) including the GSU to the PCRF-2 250-2 again if the updated service allowed amount is not exhausted (that is, the service allowable amount still remains) (S261). Then, the PCRF-2 250-2 confirms the GSU in the profile response message received from the SPR 260, transmits the CCA message including the GSU to the PGW-2 240-2 (S263) When the communication terminal 100 again uses the service usage amount corresponding to the size of the GSU, the PGW-2 240-2 controls to transmit the CCR message including the USU.

On the other hand, when the service allowable amount is exhausted while the communication terminal 100 is connected to the multi APN and uses the service, the SPR 260 synchronizes the policies of the plurality of PCRFs 250-N, Service blocking is performed.

3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for synchronizing policies of communication terminals connected by multiple APNs in a communication system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the PGW-1 240-1 confirms the amount of data used by the communication terminal 100 through the bearer to which the LTE-STYLE plan is applied (S301). When PGW-1 240-1 reaches the size of the GSU received from PCRF-1 250-1 (that is, the approved usage amount), PGW-1 240-1 transmits a USU (Used Service Unit And the CCR message in which the identification information of the communication terminal 100 is recorded, to the PCRF-1 250-1 (S303). Then, the PCRF-1 250-1 confirms the identification information of the USU and the communication terminal 100 in the CCR message, and transmits the profile request message in which the identification information of the USU and the communication terminal 100 are recorded, And requests the update of the service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 (S305).

Next, the SPR 260 checks the service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 based on the identification information of the communication terminal 100 recorded in the profile update request message, and calculates a usage amount corresponding to the USU The service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 is updated. Then, the SPR 260 determines whether or not the updated service allowable amount has been exhausted, confirms that the service allowable amount has been exhausted as a result of the determination (S307), and updates the state of the basic service product information subscribed by the communication terminal 100 Is changed. The SPR 260 recognizing the status change of the basic service product information of the communication terminal 100 determines that the GSU is set to '0' and the QI parameter (QI = 2, for example) To the PCRF-1 250-1 (S309).

Then, the PCRF-1 250-1 confirms the GSU and the QI in the profile response message received from the SPR 260, and based on the confirmed GSU and QI, deletes the LTE-STYLE applied to the default bearer and the default Transmits a CCA message including an LTE-STYLE-LIMIT apply command indicating a limited service permission to the bearer to the PGW-1 240-1 (S311). Accordingly, the PGW-1 240-1 removes the LTE-STYLE plan applied to the default bearer, and applies the LTE-STYLE-LIMIT policy permitting limited services such as emergency calls to the default bearer (S313 ). When this policy is applied, the PGW-1 240-1 blocks the data or deteriorates the quality of the communication service when the data generated by the general communication service is received from the communication terminal 100, , Mobile client center connection, and so on, to the destination.

On the other hand, when the service allowable amount of the communication terminal 100 is exhausted and the status of the basic service product information of the communication terminal 100 is changed, the SPR 260 transmits the PCRF- 2 (250 - 2), a GSU is set to '0', and a QI parameter (QI = 2, for example) indicating service interruption is recorded (S315).

Then, the PCRF-2 250-2 completes the policy update of the communication terminal 100 based on the information recorded in the profile update request message (i.e., blocks or restricts the communication service of the communication terminal 100) And transmits a profile update response message to the SPR 260 (S317, S319).

The PCRF-2 250-2 transmits the data block command (i.e., Modify: PCC-Rule [UL / DL = 0]) transmitted and received in the policy application command with the update applied, Re-Auth-Request message to the PGW-2 240-2 (S321).

The PGW-2 240-2 transmits a Re-Auth-Answer message, which is a response message of the Re-Auth-Request, to the PCRF-2 250-2 (S323) 2 from the dedicated bearer corresponding to QCI = 6 (S325) based on the data block command recorded in the Re-Auth-Request message received from the dedicated bearer.

As described above, the service policy synchronization system according to the present invention is configured such that even if the communication terminal 100 is connected to a multi APN and applies a service policy through a plurality of PCRFs 250-N, When a state change of a basic service product information is detected, the service policy application of the changed PCRF 250-N is instructed to synchronize service policies between the PCRFs 250-N. In particular, the service policy synchronization system according to the present invention is configured such that when the communication terminal 100 subscribed to the real-time usage management plan has used all of the service allowable amount, the use of the IMS service and the general Internet service is limited, N to prevent the situation in which the communication terminal 100, which has exhausted the service allowable amount, can continuously use the communication service through the IMS APN or the general Internet APN.

While the specification contains many features, such features should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention or the scope of the claims. In addition, the features described in the individual embodiments herein may be combined and implemented in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the singular < Desc / Clms Page number 5 > embodiments herein may be implemented in various embodiments individually or in combination as appropriate.

Although the operations have been described in a particular order in the figures, it should be understood that such operations are performed in a particular order as shown, or that all described operations are performed to obtain a sequence of sequential orders, or a desired result . In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. It should also be understood that the division of various system components in the above embodiments does not require such distinction in all embodiments. The above-described program components and systems can generally be implemented as a single software product or as a package in multiple software products.

The method of the present invention as described above can be implemented by a program and stored in a computer-readable recording medium (CD-ROM, RAM, ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, magneto optical disk, etc.). Such a process can be easily carried out by those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the drawings.

100: communication terminal 210: base station
220: MME 230: SGW
240: PGW 250: PCRF
260: SPR 300: IMS
310: CSCF 400: PDN

Claims (12)

delete delete delete delete delete A method for synchronizing policies of communication terminals connected by a plurality of Access Point Names (APN) in a communication system including a plurality of Policy and Charging Rule Functions (PCRFs)
Applying a general internet service policy to the communication terminal connected to the general Internet APN by the first PCRF, collecting the usage amount of the general Internet service of the communication terminal, and reporting it as a Subscriber Profile Repository (SPR);
Applying an IMS service policy for the communication terminal connected to the second PCRF through an IMS (IP Multimedia subsystem) APN, collecting the IMS service usage amount of the communication terminal and reporting to the SPR;
Analyzing a service use amount of the communication terminal reported from each PCRF, updating the service allowable amount of the communication terminal, and determining whether the service allowable amount has been exhausted;
If it is determined that the service allowance is not exhausted as a result of the determination, the SPR transmits a message in which the service approval data amount of a predetermined size is recorded to the PCRF reporting the service usage amount. If it is determined that the service allowance is exhausted, Sending a directing service policy to the first PCRF and the second PCRF;
When the first PCRF receives a message in which the service approval data amount is recorded, reports the general Internet service usage amount of the communication terminal to the SPR when the usage amount of the general internet service of the communication terminal reaches the service approval data amount, Blocking normal Internet service of the communication terminal upon receiving a service policy indicating the service blocking from the SPR; And
When the second PCRF receives the message in which the service approval data amount is recorded, reports the IMS usage amount of the communication terminal to the SPR when the IMS usage amount of the communication terminal reaches the service approval data amount, And blocking an IMS service of the communication terminal when receiving a service policy indicating service interruption. delete The method according to claim 6,
The transmitting step may include transmitting a message including a quality indicator parameter indicating whether the SPR is shut down to each PCRF,
Wherein each of the first PCRF and the second PCRF permits or blocks the service of the communication terminal based on the quality indicator parameter. delete A system for synchronizing a service policy of a real-time usage management type communication terminal connected with a multi APN (Access Point Name)
A first PCRF (Policy and Charging Rule Function) for applying a general Internet service policy to the communication terminal connected to the general Internet APN and monitoring a usage amount of the general Internet service of the communication terminal;
A second PCRF for applying an IMS service policy for the communication terminal connected through an IMS (IP Multimedia subsystem) APN and monitoring an IMS usage of the communication terminal; And
The service usage amount is reported from each of the first PCRF and the second PCRF, and the service allowable amount of the communication terminal is updated based on the reported service usage amount. If the updated service allowable amount is determined to be exhausted, Policy is transmitted to each of the first PCRF and the second PCRF, and if the updated service allowable amount is determined to be micro-sized, a message in which a service approval data amount of a predetermined size is recorded is transmitted to the PCRF reporting the service usage amount, Profile Repository)
When the first PCRF receives a message in which the service approval data amount is recorded, when the usage amount of the general internet service of the communication terminal reaches the service approval data amount, the first PCRF reports back the usage amount of the general internet service of the communication terminal to the SPR And blocking the normal Internet service of the communication terminal when receiving the service policy indicating the service blocking from the SPR,
The second PCRF reports the IMS service usage amount of the communication terminal to the SPR when the usage amount of the IMS service of the communication terminal reaches the service approval data amount when the message recording the service approval data amount is received, And disconnects the IMS service of the communication terminal upon receiving the service policy indicating the service interruption from the SPR. 11. The method of claim 10,
The SPR transmits a message including quality indicator parameters indicating service interruption to each PCRF when the updated service allowable amount is exhausted,
Wherein each of the first PCRF and the second PCRF blocks the service of the communication terminal based on the quality indicator parameter. delete

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