KR20040041411A - Method for deciding the period of collecting charging information in an interworking radio communication system of wireless lan and mobile network - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method is provided to permit an AAA server to determine the charging information collecting cycle and inform the cycle with an authentication message to a wireless LAN. CONSTITUTION: A method comprises a first step of authenticating a user with respect to the communication set request from the wireless LAN which is interlocked with a mobile communication network; a second step of determining the charging information collecting cycle in accordance with the charging system of the user authenticated in the first step, and collecting a communication service use rate at the determined cycle; and a third step of calculating a charge in accordance with the communication service use rate collected in the second step.

Description

METHODS FOR DECIDING THE PERIOD OF COLLECTING CHARGING INFORMATION IN AN INTERWORKING RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM OF WIRELESS LAN AND MOBILE NETWORK}

The present invention relates to a technology for implementing an integrated authentication and an integrated billing system in an integrated system network interworking a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network, and in particular, determines a period for collecting communication service usage information of a wireless LAN network according to various charging methods of a user. The present invention relates to a billing information period determination method in a wireless communication system in which a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network operate in conjunction with each other.

In order to simultaneously use a communication service of a mobile communication network and a wireless LAN network, technologies for interworking them are being developed. 1 illustrates an example of an interworking service of an integrated interworking network in which a user uses a same device to interwork a mobile communication network and a wireless LAN network. That is, a user interoperates with a mobile communication network and a wireless LAN network so that a user can use a low-cost wireless LAN network in a hot spot area where a wireless LAN service is supported using the same device and a mobile communication network in other regions. .

The interworking network structure integrating the mobile communication network and the wireless LAN network is a system in which authentication and billing for the use of the wireless LAN network and the mobile communication network are integrated and provided to the user, and the communication service of the wireless LAN network and the mobile communication network is operated independently.

In general, in order to implement integrated authentication and billing, a method of providing authentication and billing for a WLAN communication service through an authentication server and a billing server provided by a mobile communication network is used.

2 shows a system structure of an integrated interworking network. In the integrated interworking network, charging related information (information on wireless LAN service usage) of the WLAN network is periodically transmitted from the WLAN access network 210 to the AAA server 222. The AAA server 222 retransmits the transferred charging related information to the CGw / CCF 224 or the OCS 225 according to the charging method of the user. The billing information of the prepaid user is notified to the OCS 225 to check whether the service continues compared to the prepaid amount, and the billing information for the postpaid user is re-sent to the CGw / CCF 224 to charge the future use amount.

3 illustrates a process of performing authentication by a user in order to receive a WLAN service in an interlocking network system and collecting charging related information (communication service usage) according to communication use after authentication is successful. When the user requests communication to the interworking network in steps 1 and 2, in step 3 and 4, the AAA server 222 receives authentication information and charging method information for the user from the HSS / HLR 223A / (223B). Authenticate by importing If the authentication is successful, in step 5, the AAA server 222 notifies the WLAN access network 210 of the authentication success and the predetermined charging related information transmission cycle. The WLAN access network 210 permits communication to the user in step 6 to start communication. When communication starts, as in step 7, the WLAN access network 310 delivers the communication service usage to the AAA server 222 at regular intervals. In step 8, the AAA server 222 checks whether the prepaid user uses the service within the prepaid amount in consultation with the OCS 225 according to the user's billing method, and checks the prepaid amount of the service use. If exceeded, it informs the WLAN access network 210 to end the communication. In step 9, the AAA server 222 retransmits the communication service usage information transmitted from the WLAN access network 210 to the CGw / CCF 224 for the postpaid user.

In an interworking network between a WLAN network and a mobile communication network, it is necessary to frequently receive communication service usage information from a WLAN access network in order to know whether a communication service usage exceeds a prepaid amount for a prepaid user according to a user's billing method. On the other hand, in the case of a subscription user who always pays a certain amount regardless of the communication usage among postpaid users, the integrated billing management server may slowly receive the communication service usage information.

Nevertheless, in the interworking network of the wireless LAN network and the mobile communication network according to the prior art, the usage information of the communication service is delivered to the integrated billing management server at predetermined intervals regardless of the charging method of the user. Therefore, when the integrated billing server wants to change the acquisition cycle of the communication service usage information according to a user or a billing method, there is a problem that this function cannot be supported.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the AAA server interworking with the WLAN network and the mobile communication network to determine the billing-related information (communication service usage) collection period with reference to the user billing method information and attach it to the WLAN access network attached to the authentication confirmation message. The present invention provides a method for determining charging information period in a wireless communication system that operates by using a wireless communication system.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the interworking service between a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network.

2 is a block diagram of an integrated authentication and charging system in an interworking network.

3 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a conventional WLAN network service authentication and billing process in an interworking network.

4 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a processing procedure of a charging information period determination method in a wireless communication system in which a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network operate according to the present invention in an interworking network.

*** Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings ***

210: wireless LAN access network 220: authentication / billing system

221: packet data gateway node 222: AAA server

223A: HSS223B: HLR

224: CGw / CCF225: OCS

In a wireless communication system in which a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network operate according to the present invention, the charging information cycle determination method includes an AAA server from a HSS / HLR to a corresponding user in response to a communication setting request from a wireless LAN network linked to a mobile communication network. A first step of verifying whether the user is a legitimate user by reading the authentication information and the charging method information of the user; A second step of determining, by the AAA server, a billing-related information transmission cycle based on the user's billing method information collected from the HSS / HLR, notifying the WLAN access network of the information transmission cycle, and collecting communication service usage at the corresponding cycle; Comprising a third process of calculating the charge for the service usage collected above, it will be described in detail with reference to Figure 4 attached to the charging method of the present invention as follows.

In the present invention, the AAA server refers to the user's authentication information and the billing method information in the authentication process according to the user's communication setting request, and if the authentication is successful, the AAA server determines the communication service usage information transmission cycle according to the billing method. And informs the WLAN access network. The WLAN access network periodically transmits the communication service usage of the corresponding user to the AAA server according to the determined transmission cycle.

FIG. 4 illustrates a process in which a user transmits an authentication process according to a WLAN communication request and a billing related information according to a communication to a billing management server in the proposed interlocking network system.

Steps 1 to 4 operate in the same way as the normal authentication and billing system.In step 1 and 2, if the user requests communication to the interworking network, in step 3 and 4, the AAA server is applied from HSS / HLR. The authentication is performed by importing the authentication information and the charging method information for the user.

In the system of the present invention, if the authentication is successful, the billing-related information transmission period is determined by referring to the billing method information collected from the HSS / HLR before performing the five setting approval steps. Thereafter, in step 5, the AAA server notifies the WLAN access network of successful authentication and the charging related information transmission cycle.

Steps 6 through 9 work the same as a normal system. That is, the WLAN access network permits communication to the user in step 6 to start communication. When the communication is started, as in step 7, the WLAN access network delivers the communication service usage to the AAA server at regular intervals. In step 8, the AAA server performs a process of confirming whether the prepaid user uses the service within the prepaid amount according to the user's billing method, and if the service usage exceeds the prepaid amount, Notifies the LAN access network to terminate the communication. The process of retransmitting the communication service usage information transmitted from the WLAN access network to the CGw / CCF for the postpaid user in step 9 is performed.

The AAA server determines a charging-related information transmission cycle according to the user's charging method is as follows. After determining the transmission period according to the billing method supported by the network manager and inputting it to the AAA server, the AAA server uses a method of selecting a billing-related information transmission period according to the billing method information. User billing methods currently recorded in HSS / HLR are classified into normal charging, pre-paid charging, flat-rate charging, and hot billing. have.

As described in detail above, the present invention has an effect of improving the collection efficiency of communication service usage information by the AAA server by determining the charging related information collection period with reference to the user charging method information and notifying the WLAN access network. have. That is, by collecting frequently used communication service usage information of a prepaid billing user or a real time settlement method user at a short interval, the prepaid billing method can accurately check whether or not the prepaid amount is exceeded. Accurately calculate communication service metering amounts. In addition, since the communication service usage information of the user of the flat rate charging method is not used for the calculation of the fee, the collection period can be set very long to reduce the communication load between the WLAN access network and the AAA server.

Claims (3)

A first step of authenticating whether a user is a legitimate user for a communication setting request from a wireless LAN network interworking with a mobile communication network; A second process of determining a communication service usage information collection cycle according to the charging method of the authenticated user and collecting the communication service usage in a corresponding cycle; The billing information period determination method in a wireless communication system operating in conjunction with a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network, characterized in that consisting of three processes for calculating the charge for the collected service usage. The method of claim 1, wherein the network manager dynamically determines a communication service usage information collection cycle of the second process. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication service usage information collection period of the second process is determined by referring to the charging method information collected from the HSS / HLR. How to determine billing information cycle.