KR102530422B1 - Network apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention proposes a network device and a method for operating the network device, which realizes a differentiated technology that enables control of a data session of a terminal according to information from a 3rd party (external operator) based on the information sharing function of NEF. are doing

Description

Network device and operation method of network device {NETWORK APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a technology for transmitting and receiving information between heterogeneous networks, and more specifically, to a technology for controlling a data session of a terminal according to information from a ^3rd party (external operator) based on information transmission and reception between heterogeneous networks. it's about

As the type of communication service and required transmission speed diversify in the LTE communication system, LTE frequency expansion and evolution to the 5G communication system are actively progressing.

The rapidly evolving 5G communication system accommodates as many terminals as possible based on limited radio resources, while eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)/mMTC (massive machine type communications)/ It supports the scenario of URLLC (ultra-reliable and low latency communications).

In particular, in 5G, a network structure is defined to support a terminal, a base station (access), a core, and a server end-to-end, and in existing LTE (4G), a single node (e.g., S-GW, P-GW, etc.) separates the functions of control signaling and data transmission/reception, which have been performed in a complex way, and defines a network structure in which the area of control signaling function (Control Plane) and the area of data transmission/reception function (User Plane) are separated.

At this time, in 5G, the control node of the control plane is AMF (Access and Mobility Function) that controls access to wireless sections of terminals, PCF (Policy Control Function) that manages/controls policies such as terminal information, subscription service information for each terminal, and charging. ), a Session Management Function (SMF) that manages/controls sessions for data service use by terminal, and a Network Exposure Function (NEF) that is responsible for sharing information with external networks.

And, in 5G, the data node of the user plane is defined as UPF (User Plane Function) that transmits and receives data between the terminal and the server on the external service network (eg DN) through a session with the terminal based on the control (interlocking) of the SMF. can do.

On the other hand, the NEF of 5G is responsible for the information sharing function based on information transmission and reception between the internal network (hereinafter referred to as communication network) and the external service network (hereinafter referred to as 3 ^rd party) of the communication service provider, and the information transmitted and received for the information sharing function As a form, there is PFD (Packet Flow Description) information.

Therefore, in the future, it is expected that various differentiated services can be developed/promoted by sharing information that could not be shared between the communication network and the ^3rd party through the information sharing function using NEF's PFD information.

However, at the PFD information level, which is defined and discussed in the 5G standard, it is difficult to develop/apply differentiated services by utilizing the information sharing function of NEF, either from the communication network operator operating the communication network or from a ^3rd party external operator. am.

Therefore, in the present invention, based on information transmission and reception between heterogeneous networks, that is, an information sharing function using PFD information of NEF, to realize a technology that enables communication network operators or external operators to develop / apply substantially differentiated services. do.

The present invention was created in view of the above circumstances, and the purpose of the present invention is to transmit and receive information between heterogeneous networks, that is, based on an information sharing function using PFD information of NEF, It is to provide a network device and an operating method of the network device that enable development/application of differentiated services.

A network device according to a first aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object uses a data service provided by the external service network based on a specific message defined between a communication network to which the network device belongs and an external service network, and an information acquisition unit for acquiring service information about a specific terminal; and a session controller controlling a specific session established on the communication network so that the specific terminal can use the data service, based on the acquired service information.

Specifically, the specific message may be a message defined to transmit and receive Packet Flow Description (PFD) information in a control node responsible for sharing information between the communication network and an external service network.

Specifically, the service information includes a terminal identifier for identifying the specific terminal, a flow identifier for identifying a flow of the data service, billing information for designating billing for the data service, and the billing information for the data service. It may include at least one of time information indicating an application period, region information indicating a region to which the billing information is applied to the data service, and performance information requested while applying the billing information to the data service.

Specifically, the session control unit is a data node in charge of the specific session identified according to at least one of the terminal identifier and the flow identifier in the service information, and the charging information for a period according to the time information in the service information. It is possible to provide a policy (Rule) to apply a specified charge to the data node to control the specific session according to the policy.

Specifically, the session control unit is a data node in charge of the specific session identified according to at least one of the terminal identifier and the flow identifier in the service information, and the local information during a period according to the time information in the service information. A policy (Rule) is provided to apply performance according to the performance information and charging specified to the charging information for a period of time located in a region according to, so that the data node can control the specific session according to the policy. .

Specifically, the session control unit provides the obtained service information to a control node that manages/controls a session for using data services for each terminal, so that the control node controls the specific session based on the service information. can

A method for operating a network device according to a second aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a data service provided by the external service network based on a specific message defined between a communication network to which the network device belongs and an external service network. An information acquisition step of obtaining service information for a specific terminal using the ; and a session control step of controlling a specific session established on the communication network so that the specific terminal can use the data service, based on the acquired service information.

Specifically, the specific message may be a message defined to transmit and receive Packet Flow Description (PFD) information in a control node responsible for sharing information between the communication network and an external service network.

Specifically, the service information includes a terminal identifier for identifying the specific terminal, a flow identifier for identifying a flow of the data service, billing information for designating billing for the data service, and the billing information for the data service. It may include at least one of time information indicating an application period, region information indicating a region to which the billing information is applied to the data service, and performance information requested while applying the billing information to the data service.

Specifically, the session control step is a data node in charge of the specific session identified according to at least one of the terminal identifier and the flow identifier in the service information, and the charging for a period according to the time information in the service information. A policy (Rule) for applying a specified charge to information may be provided, and the datanode may control the specific session according to the policy.

Specifically, the session control step is a data node in charge of the specific session identified according to at least one of the terminal identifier and the flow identifier in the service information, during the period according to the time information in the service information. The specific session may be controlled by providing a policy for applying performance according to the performance information and charging specified in the charging information for a period of time located in the region according to the information.

Specifically, in the session control step, the acquired service information is provided to a control node that manages/controls a session for data service use for each terminal, so that the control node controls the specific session based on the service information. can do.

Specifically, the service providing apparatus providing the data service in the external service network, when a specific connected terminal starts using a specific data service for which service information provision is designated, the service information designated for the specific data service for the specific terminal may be provided through the specific message.

A computer readable recording medium recording a PFD structure according to a third aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a field for displaying a terminal identifier for identifying a terminal; a field for displaying a flow identifier identifying a flow of the data service; a field for displaying billing information designating billing for the data service; and a PFD (Packet Flow Description) structure including a field for displaying time information indicating a period of applying the billing information to the data service.

Specifically, a field for displaying regional information indicating a region to which the billing information is applied to data services; A PFD structure configured to further include a field for displaying performance information requested while applying the billing information to the data service may be recorded.

According to the network device and operation method of the network device of the present invention, based on the information sharing function of NEF, a differentiated technology that enables control of a data session of a terminal according to information from a 3 ^rd party (external operator) is realized. derive an effect

1 is an exemplary view showing the structure of a communication system to which the present invention is applied.
2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exemplary diagram showing a field structure of PFD information defined according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart showing a flow of controlling a data session of a terminal according to information from a 3 ^rd party (external operator) in a communication system to which the present invention is applied.
5 is a flowchart showing a method of operating a network device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to a technology for transmitting and receiving information between heterogeneous networks, specifically, to an information sharing function of a Network Exposure Function (NEF) defined in 5G.

The 5G communication system accommodates as many terminals as possible based on limited radio resources, eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)/mMTC (massive machine type communications)/URLLC (ultra-reliable and scenarios of low latency communications (highly reliable and low latency communications) are supported.

In particular, in 5G, a network structure is defined to support a terminal, a base station (access), a core, and a server end-to-end, and in existing LTE (4G), a single node (e.g., S-GW, P-GW, etc.) separates the functions of control signaling and data transmission/reception, which have been performed in a complex way, and defines a network structure in which the area of control signaling function (Control Plane) and the area of data transmission/reception function (User Plane) are separated.

At this time, in 5G, the control node of the control plane is AMF (Access and Mobility Function) that controls access to wireless sections of terminals, PCF (Policy Control Function) that manages/controls policies such as terminal information, subscription service information for each terminal, and charging. ), a Session Management Function (SMF) that manages/controls sessions for data service use by terminal, and a Network Exposure Function (NEF) that is responsible for sharing information with external networks.

And, in 5G, the data node of the user plane is defined as UPF (User Plane Function) that transmits and receives data between the terminal and the server on the external service network (eg DN) through a session with the terminal based on the control (interlocking) of the SMF. can do.

On the other hand, the NEF of 5G is responsible for the information sharing function based on information transmission and reception between the internal network (hereinafter referred to as communication network) and the external service network (hereinafter referred to as 3 ^rd party) of the communication service provider, and the information transmitted and received for the information sharing function As a form, Packet Flow Description (PFD) information is defined.

For reference, the difference between the internal network (or communication network) and the external network (or external service network) can be divided into UPF (internal) <-> DN (Data Network) (external) defined in the 5G standard.

Therefore, in the future, it is expected that various differentiated services can be developed/promoted by sharing information that could not be shared between the communication network and the ^3rd party through the information sharing function using NEF's PFD information.

However, at the PFD information level, which is defined and discussed in the 5G standard, the information that can be obtained from the PFD information received from the ^3rd party is 3-tuple flow (server IP, server port, protocol number), information related to URL and domain level.

Therefore, using the current level of PFD information, it is difficult to develop/apply differentiated services by utilizing the information sharing function of NEF, either from a communication network operator operating a communication network or from a ^3rd party external operator.

Therefore, in the present invention, based on information transmission and reception between heterogeneous networks, that is, an information sharing function using PFD information of NEF, to realize a technology that enables communication network operators or external operators to develop / apply substantially differentiated services. do.

Specifically, by utilizing the information sharing function of NEF, it is intended to realize a technology that can control a data session of a terminal according to information on a 3 ^rd party (external operator) side.

Hereinafter, the structure of a communication system to which the present invention is applied will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1 prior to a detailed description of the present invention.

In the communication network for the 5G communication system, AMF, PCF, SMF, NEF, etc. exist as control nodes, but in FIG. 1, only SMF and NEF related to the present invention are shown for simplicity of drawing.

The SMF 200 is responsible for managing/controlling a session for data service use for each terminal.

The SMF 200, when a data session creation_Create event or a data session modification_Modify event occurs for the terminal 10, sets a rule including data session information and service requirements to the terminal 10. ) is provided to at least one UPF (shown as one UPF 300 for convenience in FIG. 2) involved in the data session of ), and the UPF 300 controls the data session of the terminal 10 according to the policy (Rule). allow you to do

UPF as a data node exists in the communication network for the 5G communication system.

The UPF (300) controls the data session of the terminal based on the control (interlocking) of the SMF (200) and is in charge of transmitting and receiving data between the terminal and the server on the external service network (eg DN) through the session of the terminal do.

Assuming that the customer's terminal 10 uses a data service provided by an external service network, that is, a ^3rd party side server (eg, service providing device 1), the UPF 300 receives the policy received from the SMF 200 According to (Rule), data session control (eg, Create_Create, Modify_Modify, etc.) between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 based on data session information and service requirement information is performed.

Then, the UPF 300 transmits and receives data between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 through the session of the terminal 10 according to the rule received from the SMF 200 .

Accordingly, the terminal 10 can use the data service provided by the service providing device 1 by transmitting and receiving data with the service providing device 1 through the session provided by the UPF 300 .

NEF (100) is in charge of information sharing function based on information transmission and reception between communication network (internal network) and external service network (hereinafter referred to as 3 ^rd party), and uses PFD information as a form of information transmitted and received for information sharing function do.

PFD information currently defined and discussed in the 5G standard is only at the level of including information related to a 3-tuple flow (server IP, server port, protocol number), URL, and domain when received from a ^3rd party.

In the present invention, by specifying and specifying the PFD information received from the 3 ^rd party, by utilizing the information sharing function of the standardized NEF, the data session of the terminal can be controlled according to the 3 ^rd party (external operator) side information. We want to realize the technology, and specifically, we propose a network device that can realize it.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the network device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit 110 and a session control unit 120 .

The network device 100 of the present invention may correspond to a NEF among control nodes shown in FIG. 1 .

Alternatively, the network device 100 of the present invention may have a configuration including NEF and SMF among control nodes shown in FIG. 1, and in this case, the information acquisition unit 110 corresponds to the NEF and the session control unit 120 may correspond to SMF.

The information acquisition unit 110 uses the data service provided by the 3 ^rd party based on a specific message defined between the communication network (internal network) to which the network device 100 belongs and the external service network (3 ^rd party), Acquire service information for a specific terminal in the terminal.

Here, the specific message is a message defined to transmit and receive PFD information in the control node, that is, the NEF in charge of the information sharing function between the communication network (internal network) and the external service network (3 ^rd party), that is, the NEF information sharing function message. will be.

Accordingly, service information obtained based on a specific message can be understood as PFD information included in an information sharing function message of NEF.

Accordingly, the information acquisition unit 110, in the information sharing function message of the NEF received from each of the service providing devices 1, 2, ... N that provide data services in the external service network (hereinafter referred to as the ^3rd Party), Service information (PFD information) for the terminal may be obtained.

According to an embodiment, each of the service providing devices 1, 2, ...N, when a specific connected terminal initiates the use of a specific data service for which service information provision is designated, service information designated for a specific data service for a specific terminal An information sharing function message including a PFD information form may be provided to the network device 100.

Referring to the service providing device 1, for example, in the service providing device 1, information about customers (hereinafter referred to as whitelist customer information) for providing information sharing function messages including service information in the form of PFD information is stored/managed. It can be.

In addition, in the service providing device 1, data services are classified according to various criteria such as each content/movie/service category, and information for providing designated service information for each classified data service (hereinafter, an information provision list for each data service) is stored. / can be managed.

Accordingly, the service providing device 1, when the connected terminal is a customer terminal (hereinafter referred to as terminal 10) stored in the whitelist customer information, the corresponding terminal 10 initiates use based on the information provision list for each data service. An information sharing function message including service information specified in the data service in the form of PFD information may be generated and provided to the network device 100 .

Accordingly, when the information acquisition unit 110 receives the NEF information sharing function message from the service providing device 1 in the external service network (hereinafter referred to as the ^3rd Party), it analyzes the PFD information included in the message to obtain a specific terminal such as a terminal. Service information about (10) can be obtained.

Here, the service information includes a terminal identifier for identifying a specific terminal, a flow identifier for identifying a flow of data service, billing information for designating billing for data service, and time indicating a period for applying the billing information to data service. information, region information indicating a region to which the billing information is applied to the data service, and performance information requested while applying the billing information to the data service.

Specifically, service information (PFD information) defined in the present invention necessarily includes at least one of a terminal identifier and a flow identifier.

At this time, the terminal identifier is not limited by its format, and any identifier shared between the communication network (internal network) and the external service network ( ^3rd party) in advance by terminal unit or terminal group unit will be possible.

At this time, the flow identifier is preferably a 5-tuple flow (Source IP_terminal IP, Source Port_terminal port, Destination IP_server IP, Destination Port_server port, protocol ID) that can distinguish the flow of the data service.

If, due to a security issue, in a scenario in which only the terminal identifier is included in the service information (PFD information) that is first provided to the terminal 10 from the service providing device 1, the NEF provided from the network device 100 to the service providing device 1 The source IP_terminal IP and Source Port_terminal port of the terminal 10 are transmitted through the information sharing function of the terminal 10, and then the service information (PFD information) provided to the terminal 10 from the service providing device 1 includes a flow identifier Scenarios that allow for inclusion will be possible.

In addition, the service information (PFD information) defined in the present invention may further include at least one of billing information, time information, area information, and performance information.

3 shows the field structure of PFD information according to an embodiment defined in the present invention.

The PFD structure defined in the present invention includes a field for displaying a terminal identifier for identifying a terminal, a field for displaying a flow identifier for identifying a data service flow, and displaying billing information for specifying the charge for the data service. It may have a structure including a field for displaying time information indicating a period of applying the billing information to the data service.

Furthermore, the PFD structure defined in the present invention includes a field for displaying region information indicating a region to which the billing information is applied to the data service, and performance information requested while applying the billing information to the data service. It may have a structure configured by further including a field for

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the PFD structure defined in the present invention includes a field in which a terminal identifier is recorded (ID), a field in which a flow identifier is recorded (N-Flow tuple), and time information is recorded. Fields (Start time, End time), fields where local information is recorded (Location (Zone/GPS)), fields where charging information is recorded (Charging Method), fields where performance information is recorded (QoS), and other information are recorded It can be composed of fields (Others) that can be

The session control unit 120 determines a specific session established on the communication network so that the specific terminal, for example, the terminal 10 can use the data service, for example, the specific data service for which the service information from the service providing device 1 is acquired, the currently obtained service information ( PFD information) based on control.

Specifically, according to an embodiment in which the network device 100 of the present invention is an NEF, the session control unit 120 is a control node that manages/controls sessions for data service use for each terminal, that is, the SMF 200, and provides the currently acquired service. By providing information, the SMF 200 can control a specific session based on service information.

In this case, the SMF 200 receiving service information from the network device 100 of the present invention, that is, the NEF 100, includes a terminal identifier (ID field value) and a flow identifier (N-Flow tuple field value) in the provided service information ), check the data node that is in charge of a specific session identified according to at least one of the UPF (300), charging information (Charging Method field value), time information (Start time and End time field value), and local information within the service information A policy (Rule) according to at least one of (Location (Zone/GPS) field value) and performance information (QoS field value) is provided to the UPF (300).

In this case, the UPF 300 controls the specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 according to the policy (Rule) received from the SMF 200 (eg, Modify_Modify, etc.) will perform the action.

For example, according to the first embodiment, the SMF 200 receiving service information from the network device 100 of the present invention, that is, the NEF 100, includes time information (start time and end time field values) in the service information. A policy (Rule) to apply the specified charge (eg Free) to billing information (Charging Method field value) during the period (eg 20180428-XX:XX:XXsec, 20180430-XX:XX:XXsec) according to It can be provided as UPF (300).

In this case, the UPF 300 controls to apply billing free for a specified period for a specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 according to the policy (Rule) received from the SMF 200 (e.g., Modification_Modify, etc.) will be performed, and accordingly billing data will be transmitted to the billing system 20.

For another example, according to the second embodiment, the SMF 200 receiving service information from the network device 100 of the present invention, that is, the NEF 100, includes time information (Start time and End time fields) in the service information. Location (e.g., Land XX) according to regional information (Location (Zone/GPS) field value) during a period (e.g., 20180428-XX:XX:XXsec, 20180528-XX:XX:XXsec) It is possible to provide a policy (Rule) to apply specified charging (eg Bypass) to performance (eg 5G QoS 2) and charging information (Charging Method field value) according to performance information (QoS field value) during the period of .

In this case, the UPF (300), according to the policy (Rule) received from the SMF (200), for a specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1, if located in a designated area within a designated period, the designated billing bypass and performance Control to apply 5G QoS 2 (eg, Modify_Modify, etc.) will be performed, and accordingly billing data will be transmitted to the billing system 20.

In addition, according to the third embodiment, the SMF 200 receiving service information from the network device 100 of the present invention, that is, the NEF 100, performs performance according to performance information (QoS field value) in the service information (eg: 5G QoS 10) and charging information (Charging Method field value) can be provided with a policy (Rule) to apply specified charging (eg, charging A).

In this case, the UPF 300 controls (eg : Modify_Modify, etc.) will be performed, and the corresponding billing data will be transmitted to the billing system 20.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment in which the network device 100 of the present invention includes NEF and SMF, the session control unit 120 corresponding to the SMF 200 obtains the Check the UPF (300) in charge of a specific session identified according to at least one of a terminal identifier (ID field value) and a flow identifier (N-Flow tuple field value) in the service information, and charge information (Charging Method field) in the service information value), time information (Start time and End time field value), local information (Location (Zone/GPS) field value), and performance information (QoS field value) to UPF (300). to provide.

That is, the session control unit 120 corresponding to the SMF 200 will perform the first, second and third embodiments described above.

In this case, the UPF 300, based on the policy (Rule) received from the session control unit 120 (SMF 200) according to the first, second, and third embodiments described above, the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 It will perform general operations to control (e.g. Modify_Modify, etc.) for a specific session.

According to the current 5G standard, the SMF 200 as a control node was able to control/manage the data session of the terminal by providing the UPF 300 with only policies based on the information (value) provided from the PCF.

However, as described above, according to the present invention, the PFD information defined in the standard is materialized / specified, and the SMF 200 utilizes the information sharing function of the NEF to obtain information from the ^3rd party in the form of PFD information. A new technology for controlling/managing a data session of a terminal is realized by providing a policy (Rule) according to service information to the UPF (300).

Of course, between the communication network (internal network) and the external operator network ( ^3rd party), each independently signed a special contract and implemented technical functions through prior consultation (function matching) to control the data session of the terminal in an independent non-standard way may be realized.

However, in the present invention, since the data session control of the terminal according to the service information of the 3 ^rd party is realized by utilizing the information sharing function of NEF defined in the 5G standard, the communication network (internal network) and the external operator network (3 ^{rd party} It will have significantly higher efficiency in terms of data session control that can be realized through prior consultation (function matching) in an independent/non-standard way between parties, and reduction of application time and cost.

As described above, according to the network device of the present invention, based on the information sharing function of NEF, a differentiated technology that enables control of a data session of a terminal according to information from a 3 ^rd party (external operator) is effective. derive

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a method of operating a network device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, with reference to FIG. 4, a flow in which a data session of a terminal is controlled according to service information from a 3 ^rd party (external operator) in a communication system to which the present invention is applied will be described.

For convenience of description, service providing device 1 among a plurality of service providing devices of an external provider network, that is, a 3 ^rd party side, will be described.

When the connected terminal 10 is a customer terminal stored in the whitelist customer information, the service providing device 1 starts using the data service (hereinafter referred to as content A) by the corresponding terminal 10 based on the information provision list for each data service. It is possible to create an information sharing function message including service information designated for Service A") in the form of PFD information and provide it to the network device 100 (S10 and S20).

When the network device 100 of the present invention, that is, the NEF 100, receives the NEF information sharing function message from the service providing device 1 in the external service network (hereinafter referred to as the ^3rd Party) (S20), this message includes PFD information as shown will be included.

The NEF 100 may obtain service information for the terminal 10 by analyzing each field value in the PFD information (S30).

On the other hand, although not shown in FIG. 4, between the NEF 100 of the present invention on the communication network side and each service providing device 1, 2, ... N, a procedure for determining a field to be used effectively among fields in PFD information can be performed. can

For example, initially, the service providing device 1 provides PFD information to the NEF 100 with each field value empty in the field structure shown in FIG. Query the field value required for control.

Accordingly, the NEF 100 utilizes the NEF information sharing function with the service providing device 1 to record "OK" only for field values necessary for realizing data session control of the terminal and "NOK" for field values that are not necessary, and responds by recording can reply.

In this case, thereafter, the service providing device 1 generates an information sharing function message including PFD information in which service information specified in “Service A” that the terminal 10 starts using is recorded in the field value to which the “OK” response is returned, , may be provided to the network device 100 (S10, S20).

The NEF 100 provides the service information for the terminal 10 obtained by analyzing each field value in the PFD information to the SMF 200 (S40).

The SMF (200) checks the data node, that is, the UPF (300) in charge of a specific session identified according to at least one of a terminal identifier (ID field value) and a flow identifier (N-Flow tuple field value) in the provided service information. Do (S50).

In addition, the SMF 200 includes charging information (Charging Method field value), time information (Start time and End time field values), area information (Location (Zone/GPS) field value), performance information (QoS field value) in the service information value) is provided to the UPF 300 (S60).

In this case, the UPF 300 controls the specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 according to the policy (Rule) received from the SMF 200 (eg, Modify_Modify, etc.) will perform the action.

For example, it is assumed that charging A, performance 5G QoS 10, and capacity 10 Gbps are applied to a specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 under the control of the UPF 300 .

At this time, the SMF 200 receiving the service information from the NEF 100 performs performance according to the performance information (QoS field value) (e.g., 5G QoS 2, unlimited capacity) and charging specified in the charging information (Charging Method field value) (eg, Free) may be provided to the UPF 300 (S60).

In this case, the UPF 300 controls to apply billing free, 5G QoS 2, and unlimited capacity to a specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 according to the policy (Rule) received from the SMF 200 (Example: Modify_Modify, etc.) will be performed and accordingly billing data will be transmitted to the billing system 20 (S70).

Under the control of the UPF 300, charge-free, 5G QoS 2, and unlimited capacity can be applied to a specific session of "Service A" that reproduces content A between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 5, a method of operating a network device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

In the operating method of a network device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the network device 100 receives an information sharing function message of NEF from a service providing device, for example, a service providing device 1 in an external service network (hereinafter referred to as a 3 ^rd party) Do (S100).

Accordingly, the network device 100 may obtain service information for a specific terminal, for example, the terminal 10 by analyzing the PFD information included in the message (S110).

In the operating method of the network device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the network device 100 obtains service information about the terminal 10, the terminal 10 reflects the policy according to the service information of the ^3rd party It is possible to check whether it is possible (S120).

For example, the network device 100 may store/manage information on customers (hereinafter referred to as blacklist customer information) forbidding policy reflection according to service information of a ^3rd party.

Accordingly, when the network device 100 obtains the service information for the terminal 10, if the terminal 10 is included in the blacklist customer information, it can be confirmed that policy reflection is impossible (S120 No).

When the network device 100 confirms that policy reflection is possible (S120 Yes), it provides service information to the SMF 200 (S130).

The SMF (200) checks the data node, that is, the UPF (300) in charge of a specific session identified according to at least one of a terminal identifier (ID field value) and a flow identifier (N-Flow tuple field value) in the provided service information. Do (S140).

In the operating method of the network device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the SMF (200) may check whether the UPF (300) checked in step S140 is capable of executing the policy according to the current service information (S150).

For example, it is impossible for the SMF 200 to apply performance (e.g., 5G QoS 2, unlimited capacity) according to the performance information (QoS field value) in the current service information based on the load situation of the UPF 300. If it is impossible to determine whether or not to do so, the UPF 300 can confirm that the execution of the policy according to the current service information is impossible (S150 No).

In this case (S150 No), the SMF 200 may select/change another UPF capable of executing a policy according to the current service information for a specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 according to a predefined response policy. There is (S170), or the execution of the policy according to the current service information may be dropped.

On the other hand, if the SMF 200 confirms that the policy can be performed (S150 Yes), charging information (Charging Method field value) in service information, time information (Start time and End time field values), local information (Location (Zone /GPS) field value) and performance information (QoS field value) are provided to the UPF 300 (S160).

In this case, the UPF 300 controls the specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 according to the policy (Rule) received from the SMF 200 (eg, Modify_Modify, etc.) An operation will be performed (S160).

For example, it is assumed that charging A, performance 5G QoS 10, and capacity 10 Gbps are applied to a specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 under the control of the UPF 300 .

At this time, the SMF 200 receiving the service information from the NEF 100 performs performance according to the performance information (QoS field value) (e.g., 5G QoS 2, unlimited capacity) and charging specified in the charging information (Charging Method field value) (Example: Free) can be provided as a UPF (300).

In this case, the UPF 300 controls to apply billing free, 5G QoS 2, and unlimited capacity to a specific session between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1 according to the policy (Rule) received from the SMF 200 (Example: Modify_Modify, etc.) will be performed and billing data will be transmitted to the billing system 20.

Under the control of the UPF 300, charge-free, 5G QoS 2, and unlimited capacity can be applied to a specific session of "Service A" that reproduces content A between the terminal 10 and the service providing device 1.

As described above, according to the operating method of the network device of the present invention, based on the information sharing function of NEF, a differentiated technology that enables control of a data session of a terminal according to information from a 3 ^rd party (external operator) derive the effect of realizing

A method of operating a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the present invention or those known and usable to those skilled in computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floptical disks. - includes hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as magneto-optical media, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, as well as machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler. The hardware devices described above may be configured to act as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the technical field to which the present invention belongs without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the following claims. Anyone skilled in the art will extend the technical spirit of the present invention to the extent that various variations or modifications are possible.

According to the network device and the operating method of the network device according to the present invention, based on the information sharing function of the NEF, it is possible to control the data session of the terminal according to the information on the 3 ^rd party (external operator), As it goes beyond the limits, it is an invention with industrial applicability because not only the use of related technology, but also the possibility of marketing or business of the applied device is sufficient, and it can be clearly implemented in reality.

10: Terminal
20: billing system
100:NEF
110: information acquisition unit 120: session control unit
200: SMF
300: UPF

Claims (15)

In the network device,
an information acquisition unit for acquiring service information about a specific terminal using a data service provided by the external service network, based on a specific message defined between the communication network to which the network device belongs and an external service network; and
and a session control unit controlling a specific session established on the communication network so that the specific terminal can use the data service, based on the acquired service information;
The specific message is a message defined to transmit and receive information in a control node responsible for sharing information between the communication network and an external service network,
The specific message,
A network device characterized in that the message is defined to transmit and receive PFD (Packet Flow Description) information in a control node responsible for sharing information between the communication network and an external service network. delete According to claim 1,
The service information is
a terminal identifier for identifying the specific terminal, a flow identifier for identifying a flow of the data service, billing information designating billing for the data service, time information indicating a period of applying the billing information to the data service, and at least one of region information indicating a region to which the billing information is applied to the data service, and performance information requested while applying the billing information to the data service. According to claim 3,
The session control unit,
To a data node in charge of the specific session identified according to at least one of the terminal identifier and the flow identifier in the service information, a policy to apply billing specified in the billing information for a period according to the time information in the service information (Rule) provided,
and allowing the data node to control the specific session according to the policy. According to claim 3,
The session control unit,
A data node in charge of the specific session identified according to at least one of the terminal identifier and the flow identifier in the service information, during a period according to the time information in the service information and located in a region according to the region information By providing a policy (Rule) to apply performance according to the performance information and charging specified in the charging information,
and allowing the data node to control the specific session according to the policy. According to claim 1,
The session control unit,
The network device characterized in that by providing the acquired service information to a control node that manages/controls a session for using a data service for each terminal, the control node controls the specific session based on the service information. In the operating method of the network device,
an information acquisition step of acquiring service information about a specific terminal using a data service provided by the external service network, based on a specific message defined between a communication network to which the network device belongs and an external service network; and
and a session control step of controlling a specific session established on the communication network so that the specific terminal can use the data service, based on the acquired service information;
The obtained service information is
Service information designated for a data service used by the specific terminal provided to the specific terminal from a service providing device providing data service in the external service network;
The specific message,
A method of operating a network device, characterized in that the message is defined to transmit and receive Packet Flow Description (PFD) information in a control node responsible for sharing information between the communication network and an external service network. delete According to claim 7,
The service information is
a terminal identifier for identifying the specific terminal, a flow identifier for identifying a flow of the data service, billing information designating billing for the data service, time information indicating a period of applying the billing information to the data service, and at least one of region information indicating a region to which the billing information is applied to the data service and performance information requested while applying the billing information to the data service. According to claim 9,
In the session control step,
To a data node in charge of the specific session identified according to at least one of the terminal identifier and the flow identifier in the service information, a policy to apply billing specified in the billing information for a period according to the time information in the service information (Rule) provided,
and allowing the data node to control the specific session according to the policy. According to claim 9,
In the session control step,
A data node in charge of the specific session identified according to at least one of the terminal identifier and the flow identifier in the service information, during a period according to the time information in the service information and located in a region according to the region information A method of operating a network device characterized by controlling the specific session by providing a policy (Rule) to apply performance according to the performance information and charging specified in the charging information. According to claim 7,
In the session control step,
Operation of a network device characterized by providing the obtained service information to a control node that manages/controls a session for using data service for each terminal so that the control node controls the specific session based on the service information method. According to claim 7,
The service providing device for providing data service in the external service network,
A method of operating a network device characterized in that, when a connected specific terminal starts using a specific data service for which service information provision is designated, service information designated for the specific data service is provided to the specific terminal through the specific message. a field for displaying a terminal identifier for identifying a terminal;
a field for displaying a flow identifier identifying a flow of the data service;
a field for displaying billing information designating billing for the data service; and
A computer-readable recording medium having a Packet Flow Description (PFD) structure including a field for displaying time information indicating a period of applying the billing information to the data service. 15. The method of claim 14,
a field for displaying region information indicating a region to which the billing information is applied to the data service;
A computer-readable recording medium recording a PFD structure configured to further include a field for displaying performance information requested while applying the billing information to the data service.

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