WO2011076067A1

WO2011076067A1 - Offline accounting method and system

Info

Publication number: WO2011076067A1
Application number: PCT/CN2010/079722
Authority: WO
Inventors: 骆文; 宋建全
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2009-12-21
Filing date: 2010-12-13
Publication date: 2011-06-30
Also published as: CN102104859A

Abstract

An offline accounting method and system are provided in the present invention. The method includes that: an accounting client obtains accounting information of a terminal and sends it to an accounting server, wherein the accounting information includes the base-station type information for representing the type of a base-station served and/or the user type information for representing the type of the terminal; and, the accounting server receives the accounting information, and for the terminal, accounts according to the base-station type information and/or the user type information. The present invention can provide the users of home base-station with differentiated accounting services, thus promoting the smooth development of the home base-station service.

Description

Offline charging method and system

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to an offline charging method and system. Background technique

In order to provide mobile users with higher service rates and lower the cost of using high-rate services, and reduce the investment in carrier network deployment, at the same time, in order to make up for the shortage of existing distributed cellular wireless communication system coverage, it is usually existing A home base station is deployed in the communication network as a supplement to the macro base station. The home base station is generally installed in a home, an office area or the like. The home base station is a small, low-power base station with practical, convenient, low-power output.

1 is a schematic diagram of a communication network model including a home base station according to the related art. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network model of the home base station includes a home base station, a security gateway, an access gateway, and an authentication authorization charging server. The home base station can access the access gateway through the security gateway. The security gateway can be set up with the access gateway or with the access gateway. The main function of the security gateway is to ensure link security between the home base station and the access gateway.

Authentication Authorization and Accounting Server (AAA) is an important function in the communication network. It is used to implement network operator control and management of data and users. It provides authentication and authorization, account services, and accounting. Fee services, usually working in conjunction with network access control, gateway servers, databases, and user information directories. An anchor Authenticator (AA) is generally placed in the access gateway. Its main function is to provide access authentication services to the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal accesses the network. After the mobile terminal accesses the network, before the network is disconnected, Responsible for managing and maintaining the context information of the mobile terminal. The Anchor Data Path Function (A-DPF) is also generally placed in the access gateway, which is another important function of the communication network: no matter how the mobile terminals in the network switch in each base station, All data from the terminal (upstream data) will eventually be aggregated to the anchor data channel function of the terminal, and then further forwarded (for example, sent to the Internet); all data sent to this terminal (downlink data) will also be sent first. The anchor data channel function is further sent to the terminal by the anchor data channel function. The anchor authenticator and anchor data channel functions can be located in the same An access gateway can also be placed on different access gateways (as shown in Figure 1).

The billing function is an important core function in the communication system, and billing can be divided into online billing.

(ie, prepaid) and offline charging (ie, postpaid). Billing server (Accounting Server, called Acc-S), Accounting Client (Acc-C) and Account Agent (Acc-A) are offline charging in wireless communication networks. Several important network entities.

The function of Acc-A is to collect offline charging information, for example, collect the volume information of the service used by the terminal and periodically send the information to the charging client. The Acc-C end constructs a usage data record (UDR) of the terminal (end user) based on the offline charging information collected from the Acc-A, in which the related charging information is recorded. Acc-C also needs to report offline charging information to Acc-S periodically. At this time, Acc-C passes the generated UDR to the accounting server. Acc-S collects the above UDR information and combines the same UDR information to charge users for different service types. The UDR contains a lot of information, such as the charging session identifier, the service data stream identifier, the traffic and/or duration of the service, the timestamp for generating the UDR, and so on. The billing session identifier can make the billing server know which terminal (end user) to charge for; the service data stream identifier can be used to identify the billing information of the UDR collection service, such as voice service and data service, generally Said that a service corresponds to a UDR; the traffic and/or duration used by the service is used to indicate the traffic and/or duration information of the terminal (end user) using the service; the timestamp is used to prevent the same UDR from being received repeatedly. Repeat billing for the terminal.

When the Acc-S charges the terminal, one processing method is to first find all the UDRs related to the terminal according to the charging session identifier, and then merge the related UDRs according to the service type, and finally according to the usage fee of each type of service. The terminal is billed for rate and usage. For example, according to the service data flow identifier, Acc-S combines all the UDRs related to the voice service, and adds the usage traffic among them to obtain the total traffic of the voice service used by the terminal. Similarly, Acc-S can also all the data services. The associated UDR merges and gets the total traffic of the terminal using the data service. Then, according to the different usage rates of the two services, the costs of using the two services by the terminal are respectively calculated, and after adding, the total cost is obtained.

When the offline charging function is deployed, the offline accounting server is generally deployed on the AAA server. It can be understood that the AAA server itself has the function of Acc-S; the Acc-S can also be separated from the AAA server. Interface. Acc-C is deployed on the endpoint's anchor authenticator (connected Incoming gateway); Acc-A is deployed in the anchor data channel function of the terminal (access gateway). When the anchor authenticator and the anchor data channel are located in the same access gateway, Acc-A and Acc-C can communicate directly; when the two are located in different access gateways, Acc-A and Acc-C Communication between the access gateways is possible.

In the existing home base station system, there are three different types of home base stations: closed mode (CSG-CLOSDE) home base station, hybrid mode (CSG-OPEN) home base station, and open mode (OPEN) home base station. The closed mode home base station means that only the user of the Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) member of the home base station can access the home base station and enjoy the service provided by the home base station; the open mode home base station means that any user can Access to the home base station; a hybrid mode home base station refers to allowing CSG users and other users to access, but differentiates different user types according to whether the user belongs to the CSG list, and implements differentiated quality of service processing (eg, CSG users have more High business priority, with better quality of service and business category).

In order to achieve the goal of reducing the investment cost of the operator's network deployment and increasing the satisfaction of the user's service usage (higher service rate), the operator needs to use the home base station system. However, since the home base station needs to be purchased and placed by the user (the macro base station does not need to be purchased and placed by the user), it is not effective to attract the user to widely use the home base station, and the home base station service cannot be smoothly carried out until it cannot be carried out. Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an offline charging method and system for providing differentiated charging services to facilitate the smooth development of home base station services.

To solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides an offline charging method. The method includes: the charging client acquires charging information of the terminal and sends the charging information to the charging server, where the charging information includes a type of the serving base station. Base station type information and/or user type information for indicating the type of the terminal;

The charging server receives the charging information, and charges the terminal according to the base station type information and/or user type information.

The charging client can send the charging information to the charging server through the charging request, and the charging is requested. The request may be an accounting request for notifying the charging server to start or end the charging of the terminal, or may be a charging request during the charging.

The charging client can obtain base station type information and/or user type information in one of the following ways:

Obtaining from a charging proxy by a charging information update request or a mobile IP protocol message;

Obtaining base station type information and/or user type information by using a message sent by the base station, including: acquiring, by using a context information interaction message, a MAC layer update message, a data channel pre-establishment request message, or a data channel establishment request message during handover; The data channel establishment request message, the terminal pre-attach request message, the EAP forwarding message, the user identity response message, or the terminal attach request message is obtained.

The method may further include: the charging agent obtaining base station type information and/or user type information in one of the following manners:

Obtained locally from the serving base station;

Acquiring the base station type information and/or user type information by using the message sent by the base station, including: acquiring, by using a context information interaction message, a MAC layer update message, a data channel pre-establishment request message, or a data channel setup request message, at the time of handover; When accessing the network, the data channel establishment request message, the terminal pre-attach request message, the EAP forwarding message, the user identity response message, or the terminal attach request message is obtained.

When the charging server charges the terminal according to the base station type information and/or the user type information, at least one of the following operations may be performed: classifying the charging information of the terminal; selecting a charging rate for the terminal; and selecting a charging mode for the terminal. The serving base station may be a macro base station or a home base station.

The serving base station may be a macro base station, an open mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station or a closed mode home base station.

The terminal can be: a closed user group member or a non-closed user group member.

The present invention also provides an offline charging system, where the system includes: a charging client and an accounting server, where

The charging client is configured to acquire charging information of the terminal and send the information to the charging server, where The charging information includes base station type information indicating a type of the serving base station and/or user type information indicating the type of the terminal;

The charging server is connected to the charging client through a network, and is configured to: receive the charging information, and charge the terminal according to the base station type information and/or user type information.

The charging client may be configured to send the charging information to the charging server by using the charging request, where the charging request may be used to notify the charging server to start or end the charging request for the terminal charging, or may be charging. Billing request during the period.

The charging client may be configured to obtain the base station type information and/or the user type information by using the message sent by the base station, including: when the handover, the context information interaction message, the MAC layer update message, the data channel pre-establishment request message, or the data channel is established. Request message acquisition; At the time of initial network access, the terminal pre-attach request message, the user identity response message, the terminal attach request message, the EAP forwarding message, or the data channel establishment request message acquisition.

The system may further include a charging proxy connected to the charging client; the charging client may obtain base station type information and/or user type information from the charging proxy through a charging information update request or a mobile IP protocol message;

The charging agent can be configured to obtain the base station type information and/or user type information in one of the following ways:

Obtained locally from the serving base station;

Acquiring the base station type information and/or user type information by using the message sent by the base station, including: acquiring, by using a context information interaction message, a MAC layer update message, a data channel pre-establishment request message, or a data channel setup request message, at the time of handover; When accessing the network, the terminal pre-attach request message, the user identity response message, the terminal attach request message, the EAP forwarding message, or the data channel establishment request message is obtained.

The charging server may be configured to perform at least one of the following operations when charging the terminal according to the base station type information and/or the user type information: classifying the charging information of the terminal; selecting a charging rate for the terminal; Fee mode.

The serving base station may be a macro base station or a home base station; wherein the home base station may be an open mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station or a closed mode home base station. The terminal can be: a closed user group member or a non-closed user group member.

In the offline charging method and system of the present invention, the charging client sends the base station type information of the serving base station or the user type information of the terminal to the charging server, and the charging server uses the base station type information and/or the user type when charging. As a basis for determining the billing rate, the information provides differentiated billing services for users of the home base station, which can attract and encourage users to widely use the home base station, thereby facilitating the smooth development of the home base station service.

BRIEF abstract

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication network model including a home base station in the prior art.

2 is a schematic diagram of an offline charging method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

4 is a schematic flow chart of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Preferred embodiment of the invention

The main idea of the offline charging method and system of the present invention is that the charging client sends the base station type information of the serving base station and/or the user type information of the terminal to the charging server, and the charging server uses the base station type information when charging. And the user type information is used as a basis for determining the charging rate, thereby providing a differentiated charging service for the user of the home base station, attracting and encouraging the user to widely use the home base station, and promoting the smooth development of the home base station service.

Because the existing charging system does not pay attention to the type of base station used by the terminal user to access the network (there is only a macro base station in the current network), after the home base station system is introduced in the existing network, the existing charging system cannot know the current status of the terminal user. The type of base station used cannot support operators to provide differentiated billing services for users. In this way, the user may be less satisfied with the use of the home base station to access the network, or lose interest (no one would be willing to purchase the home base station to be placed in his own home, but still need to pay the same fee as when using the macro base station), and the present invention Providing differential charging services based on different base station types and/or different user types can solve this problem. As shown in FIG. 2, the offline charging method of the present invention includes:

Step 201: The charging client acquires charging information of the terminal and sends the charging information to the charging server, where the charging information includes base station type information indicating a type of the serving base station and/or user type information indicating the type of the terminal. ;

The billing client transmits the billing information to the billing server via a billing request/start, billing request/intermediate or billing request/end message.

The charging client acquires the base station type information and/or the user type information from the charging proxy; the charging proxy acquires the base station type information and/or from a message sent by the base station locally or from a message sent by the base station. Or user type information.

Step 202: The charging server receives the charging information, and performs charging for the terminal according to the base station type information, user type information, or a combination of the two, to implement a differentiated charging service.

The differential charging service according to the present invention is embodied in: the tariff standard used by the home base station is lower than the tariff standard used by the macro base station to access the network; the different types of home base station access networks correspond to different charging policies, for example, using different types. The home base station corresponds to different tariff standards and corresponds to different charging modes (for example, the closed mode home base station corresponds to the time-based charging, and the open mode home base station corresponds to the metering fee).

In fact, the offline charging client can also notify the offline charging server of the current terminal (terminal user) user type (CSG member, non-CSG member) to provide differentiated charging service for the user. For example, when a CSG member accesses a network through a closed mode home base station or a hybrid mode home base station, a lower tariff standard is obtained; when a non-CSG member accesses the network through an open mode home base station or a hybrid mode home base station, a higher tariff standard is obtained.

The charging server performs at least one of the following operations when charging the terminal according to the base station type information, user type information, or a combination of the two: classifying charging information of the terminal; Fee rate; select the billing mode for the terminal. The following is a detailed implementation of several differential billing services:

1. The serving base station type includes a macro base station and a home base station. When the charging server uses the base station type information as a basis for determining the rate, in the same case, the rate of the macro base station is higher than the rate of the home base station.

2. The serving base station type includes a macro base station, an open mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station, and In the closed mode home base station, when the charging server uses the base station type information as a basis for determining the rate, in the same case, the rates are sequentially decreased.

3. The terminal type includes: a closed user group member and a non-closed user group member. When the charging server uses the user type information as a basis for determining the rate, in the same case, the rate of the non-closed user group member is higher than the closed user. The rate of group members.

4. The serving base station type includes a macro base station, an open mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station, and a closed mode home base station; the terminal type includes: a closed subscriber group member and a non-closed subscriber group member; and the charging server sets the base station type information. When combined with user type information as the basis for determining the rate, in the same case, the order of the rates from high to low is: non-closed user group members under the macro base station, non-closed user group members under the open mode home base station, and hybrid A non-closed subscriber group member under the mode home base station, a closed subscriber group member under the hybrid mode home base station, and a closed subscriber group member under the closed mode home base station.

The above four modes are merely illustrative, and the specific implementation is not limited to the above examples.

The specific implementation of the method of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

Embodiment 1

3 is a (offline) charging client when the (offline) charging server feeds back the charging information to the terminal, and informs the (offline) charging server when the charging information is counted, the service base station type of the terminal, and Z or The method of the user type of the terminal (end user) specifically includes the following steps:

Step 301: The (offline) charging client (hereinafter referred to as Acc-C) receives a trigger message for starting charging of the terminal (terminal user);

Generally, when the terminal completes the network access or starts the service (for example, using the data service to access the Internet network), the trigger message is directly sent by the terminal or indirectly through other network elements.

Step 302: The Acc-C sends a charging request for requesting the Acc-S to start charging the terminal (end user) to the (offline) charging server (hereinafter referred to as Acc-S) (Accounting-Request/Start, following As "accounting request/start", where the base station type information of the serving base station carrying the terminal, and/or the user type information of the terminal;

This message may also send the billing information currently collected by Acc-C to the Acc-S, the service base station type information of the terminal, and/or the user type information of the terminal (end user) in the form of UDR. It is included in the billing information of the UDR form.

Step 303: After the Acc-S receives the charging request/start, the context information of the charging session is created, for example, the charging session identifier is associated with the terminal, and charging is started for the terminal, and the Acc-S also refers to the foregoing Acc. - The UDR sent by -C is saved locally, and finally, Acc-S returns the charging response/start to Acc-C;

Step 304: During the charging period, the Acc-C sends a charging request (Accountmg-Request/Intenm-Update, hereinafter referred to as "accounting request/intermediate") for updating the related information to the Acc-S, where the service of the terminal is carried. Base station type information of the base station, and/or user type information of the terminal;

After the start of the charging, the Acc-C needs to collect the charging information of the terminal. For example, the Acc-A reports the charging information related to the terminal to the Acc-C. When collecting the above charging information, Acc-C converts it into a UDR and caches it locally. The UDR includes information such as the charging session identifier and the type of serving base station of the terminal acquired by the Acc-C, and/or user type.

The following uses the data service that the terminal accesses the network through different types of base stations as an example to illustrate the above meanings:

Assuming that the current terminal accesses the network through the home base station to use the data service, as described above,

Acc-A can monitor the use of services by the terminal and collect billing information (such as traffic). Acc-A can also periodically send (for example, every 20 seconds) the collected billing information to Acc-C. After receiving the accounting information, the Acc-C constructs a UDR based on the charging information, and fills in the related information in the UDR, including: a charging session identifier; a service data flow identifier (in this case, the identifier can indicate that it is a data service) The type of serving base station used when the terminal uses the service (the base station type at this time is the home base station). Then, further, Acc-C can also fill in the type of home base station in the UDR, such as a closed mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station, and an open mode home base station.

Using the same principle, Acc-C can also fill in the UDR the type of user (CSG user, or non-CSG user) that the terminal belongs to when using the service.

As described above, after the billing starts, Acc-C needs to collect the billing information of the terminal and convert it into a UDR. After this processing, Acc-C temporarily holds these UDRs locally. Acc-C usually reports the accounting information (UDR) with the Acc-S negotiation cycle. For example, it is reported once every 5 minutes. At this time, when the negotiated good reporting time slot arrives, Acc-C will report it. During this time All UDRs collected are sent to Acc-S through a charging request/intermediate message.

It should be noted that the processing of the UDR in step 302 is the same as the method described in this step.

Step 305: After receiving the charging request/intermediate message, the Acc-S saves the UDR carried therein locally, and returns an accounting response/intermediate message to the Acc-C.

Among them, it is worth noting that in the life cycle of a charging session, step 304 to step

The 305 will be repeated multiple times, for example, every 5 minutes. The benefit of this is to prevent Acc-C from losing UDR information.

Step 306: The charging client receives a trigger message for stopping the charging of the terminal (the terminal user); for example, when the terminal exits the network, or when the terminal ends the service (for example, ends the access to the Internet network), the charging client receives the message. Trigger message to stop charging.

Step 307: The Acc-C sends a charging request (Accounting-Request/Stop, hereinafter referred to as "accounting request/stop") message for requesting the Acc-S to stop the charging of the terminal (end user) to the Acc-S. The base station type information of the serving base station carrying the terminal, and/or the user type information of the terminal; the charging request/stop message is used to notify the Acc-S to stop charging the terminal (end user).

At this time, the Acc-C needs to transmit all the UDRs associated with the terminal that have not been sent to the Acc-S to the Acc-S using the charging request/stop message. The method described in step 304, the base station type information of the serving base station of the terminal, and/or the user type information to which the terminal belongs are included in these UDRs.

Step 308: After receiving the charging request/stop message, the Acc-S saves the UDR carried therein locally, and returns an accounting response/stop message to the Acc-C.

Through the method described in this embodiment, the charging information (UDR) related to the terminal (end user) may include the base station type information used by the terminal, and/or the user type information, to implement the terminal (end user). Differential billing. The following specifically explains how to achieve:

At any time after the Acc-S obtains the above-mentioned terminal-related UDR information, for example, after the terminal exits the network, or after the service is completed, or at the time specified by the operator (for example, 0:00 every day), Acc- S will process these UDRs and charge users offline, for example, using the following methods:

A. Acc-S takes out all UDRs associated with the terminal and charges the terminal (user) The information is classified (that is, the UDR is classified), for example, classified by service type, and the voice services are classified into one class, and the data services are classified into one class. The following is an example in which the data service is based on the flow rate.

B. Retrieving the UDR related to the data service, and continuing to classify the foregoing charging information, which further includes classifying according to the type of the base station of the terminal, and/or the type of the user. The following B1 and B2 are examples categorized only by base station type, B3 is an example classified only by user type, and B4 is an example of combining user type classification in combination with base station type.

B1. The UDR is classified into two types according to the type of the base station: the macro base station and the home base station. For example, the base station type is that the macro base station rate is 1 (high), and the base station type is the home base station rate is 1/2 (low).

B2. The UDR is classified according to the type of the base station: a macro base station, an open mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station, and a closed mode home base station. For example, the macro base station rate is 1 (high), and the open mode home base station rate is 2/. 3 (higher), the mixed mode home base station rate is 1/2 (middle), and the closed mode home base station rate is 1/3 (low).

B3. The UDR is classified into two types according to the user type of the terminal: the CSG user and the non-CSG user. For example, if the terminal accesses the network in a non-CSG member role (for example, through a macro base station, an open mode home base station, or a hybrid mode home base station), The rate is 1 (high). If the end user accesses the network as a CSG member role (for example, through a closed mode home base station, a mixed mode home base station), the rate is 1/2 (low).

B4. The UDR is combined with the service base station type of the terminal and the user type combination: The serving base station of the terminal is a macro base station, and the user type must be a non-CSG member, which can be classified into a (macro base station, non-CSG member) class, and the rate is 1 (high); The service base station of the terminal is an open mode home base station. At this time, the user type must be a non-CSG member, which can be classified into (open mode home base station, non-CSG member) class, and the rate is 2/3 (middle); terminal The serving base station is a mixed mode home base station, and if the terminal is not a CSG member of the home base station, classified as a (mixed mode home base station, non-CSG member) class, the rate is 2/3 (middle), and if the terminal is the home The CSG member of the base station is classified as (mixed mode home base station, CSG member) rate rate is 1/3 (low); the service base station of the terminal is a closed mode home base station, and the user type must be a CSG member, which can be classified as ( Closed mode home base station, CSG member) class, the rate is 1/3 (low).

C. Merging the well-classed UDRs, for example, adding the traffic recorded in each UDR in the class, and then calculating the total price of each class together with the respective rates. Finally, add the total price of each type, Get the final billing information for the user.

Finally, it is worth noting that, in order to represent the base station type information, the parameter BSTYPE may be added to the above UDR, and BSTYPE=0 indicates that the macro base station (Macs); BSTYPE=1 indicates the open mode (OPEN) home base station; BSTYPE= 2 indicates mixed mode (CSG-OPEN) home base station; BSTYPE=3 indicates closed mode (CSG-CLOSED) home base station. It is also possible to make BSTYPE=0 the default value, that is, if the UDR does not carry the parameter BSTYPE, the default serving base station type is a macro base station. Alternatively, in another manner, adding a parameter BSTYPE=0 in the UDR indicates a macro base station (Mac BS); BSTYPE=1, SUBTYPE=1 indicates an open mode (OPEN) home base station; BSTYPE=1, SUBTYPE=2 indicates a mixed mode (CSG-OPEN) Home base station; BSTYPE=1, SUBTYPE=3 indicates closed mode (CSG-CLOSED) home base station. Similarly, you can also make BSTYPE=0 the default value, with the same meaning as above.

To represent user type information, you can add the parameter USERTYPE to the UDR, and let USERTYPE=0 indicate non-CSG members (Non-CSG Member); USERTYPE=1 indicates CSG members. You can also make USERT YPE=0 the default value. If the UDR does not carry the parameter USERTYPE, the default user type is non-CSG member.

According to the actual application, the above BSTYPE (SUBTYPE) can be used in combination with USERTYPE, or can be used separately, and the differential charging for the terminal (end user) can be realized to different extents.

Embodiment 2

As can be seen from the above description, the (offline) charging agent (Acc-A) is located in the anchor data channel function, and its function is to monitor the situation in which the terminal uses the network (for example, the traffic used when performing the service), and collect the charging information. . When the charging agent collects the charging information and reports the charging information to the charging client, the type of the current serving base station and/or the user type of the terminal need to be sent to the charging client, as shown in FIG. Specifically, it includes the following steps:

Step 401: The Acc-A sends a periodic charging information update request message to the Acc-C to report the (offline) charging information of the recently collected terminal to the Acc-C, where the base station type information of the serving base station carrying the terminal, And/or user type information of the terminal;

As described in step 304, Acc-A can periodically pass the collected charging information. A Bulk Interim Update message is sent to the Acc-C. The information can reflect the type of service used by the terminal, and the amount of usage (eg, traffic). The message also carries the base station type information of the serving base station of the terminal acquired by the Acc-A, and/or the user type information of the terminal.

Step 402: The Acc-C responds with the periodic charging information update response message Acc-A, and notifies that the Acc-A charging information has been received;

Step 403: The Acc-C sends a charging request/start, an accounting request/intermediate, or an accounting request/end message to the Acc-S, where the base station type information of the serving base station including the terminal, and/or the user type of the terminal are carried. UDR information of information;

After receiving the periodic charging information update request message from Acc-A, Acc-C takes out the relevant charging information and generates one or more UDRs. At this time, the Acc-C may obtain the type information of the current serving base station of the terminal, and/or the user type information of the terminal, from the periodic charging information update request message, and add the information according to the method described in step 204. Into the response UDR.

In this step, Acc-C sends a charging request/start, charging request Z intermediate, or charging request Z end message to the Acc-S according to the actual situation.

Step 404: After receiving the charging request/start (intermediate, end) message, the Acc-S saves the UDR carried therein locally, and returns a charging response/start (intermediate, ending) message to the Acc-C.

Similarly, according to the method described in Embodiment 1, the Acc-S may finally classify the UDR according to the type of the base station, and/or the user type, and implement differential charging for the terminal (end user), the principle is the same, Let me repeat.

Embodiment 3

When the terminal performs handover between the base stations, the new serving base station (referred to as the target base station) sends the foregoing base station type information and/or user type information to the (offline) charging proxy, as shown in FIG. 5, specifically Contains the following steps:

Step 501: The mobile terminal sends a handover indication to the serving base station.

After the mobile terminal determines the new serving base station (target base station) to be switched in, the mobile terminal needs to send a mobile indication message (MOB_HO-IND) to its current serving base station, the message carrying the identity of the target base station.

Step 502: The serving base station sends a handover confirmation (HO_Cnf) message to the target base station, and notifies the handover. The mobile terminal is about to switch to the target base station; the target base station responds to the serving base station by using a handover consent (HO_Ack) message;

Step 503: The target base station sends a context request message to the anchor authenticator of the terminal; the anchor authenticator responds to the target base station by using a context response message;

If the target base station does not already have the context information of the terminal (for example, AK context information), then the target base station may send a context request (Context_Req) to the anchor authenticator of the terminal to obtain the context information of the terminal.

Step 504: The target base station sends a data channel pre-establishment request to the anchor access gateway (anchor data channel function) of the terminal, where the base station type information of the serving base station carrying the terminal, and/or the user type information of the terminal; The ingress gateway (anchor data channel function) uses the data channel pre-establishment response to respond to the target base station;

If the target base station has not pre-established a data channel between the terminal and the anchor data channel function, in this step, the target base station needs to send a data channel pre-establishment request (Path_Prereg_Req) to the anchor data channel function, for pre-establishing data. aisle. At this time, the target base station can use the message to send the terminal's serving base station type, and/or the terminal's user type to Acc-A (which resides in the anchor data channel function).

The type of base station and the type of user referred to herein refer to the type of serving base station of the terminal and the user of the terminal at the base station when the target base station becomes the serving base station of the terminal (ie, when the handover is completed, the terminal switches to the target base station). Types of.

First, the target base station knows its own type of base station, and the method for expressing the type of the base station according to the first embodiment: if it is a macro base station, the pre-establishment request carrying indication in the data channel is used to indicate that the base station type is a macro base station; or The indication is not carried. In this case, the Acc-A (receiver) defaults the base station type to a macro base station; if it is a home base station, carries an indication in the data channel pre-establishment request to indicate that the base station type is a home base station, and further It can also indicate what type of home base station (closed mode home base station, hybrid mode home base station, open mode home base station, etc.).

Secondly, the target base station knows the user type of the terminal at the base station, and the manner of expressing the user type according to the first embodiment: if it is a macro base station, the parameter is ignored, and the Acc-A (receiver) defaults the default user type to CSG member; if it is a home base station, the home base station will first judge the terminal Is it a CSC member of its own, and sends the judgment result as an indication to Acc-A, which is used to indicate the user type (CSG member, non-CSG member) of the current terminal. If the home base station also ignores this parameter (for example, an open mode home base station), the receiver also sets the default user type to a non-CSG member.

After Acc-A obtains the above-mentioned base station type information, and/or user type information, it is saved locally. Acc-A can also associate these two parameters with the base station identity (BSID) of the target base station.

Step 505: The terminal sends a ranging request to the target base station, indicating that the terminal is to be handed over to the target base station.

Step 506: The target base station responds to the ranging response to the terminal, and performs a terminal re-entry procedure. Step 507: The target base station (new serving base station) sends a CMAC key count update request to the anchor authenticator; the anchor authenticator Confirming the response to the serving base station using the CMAC key count update;

Step 508: The target base station (new serving base station) sends a data channel establishment request to the anchor access gateway (anchor data channel function) of the terminal, where the base station type information of the serving base station carrying the terminal, and/or the user type of the terminal Information; an anchor access gateway (anchor data channel function) uses a data channel to establish a response to the target base station;

The target base station needs to formally establish a data channel between the terminal and the anchor data channel function. At this time, the target base station sends a data channel establishment request (Path_Reg_Req) to the anchor data channel function.

In the same step 504, the target base station can obtain the foregoing base station type information, and/or user type information. If the target base station does not send the above-mentioned base station type information and/or user type information to the Acc-A through the above data channel pre-establishment request, the target base station may send the data to the Acc-A using the data channel establishment request, Acc-A These parameters will be saved locally.

Step 509: Perform a data channel removal process between the anchor access gateway (anchor data channel function) and the old serving base station of the terminal;

Step 510: The interaction between the target base station (new serving base station) and the old serving base station of the terminal is completed and confirmed.

As described above, the function of the Acc-A is to monitor the use of the network by the terminal, collect the charging information, and report the charging information to the Acc-C, and the Acc-A needs to perform the operation before and after the terminal is switched. Then, before and after the handover, if the base station type and/or the user type of the terminal change, the Acc-A should separately store the charging information collected before and after the handover.

It is assumed that the terminal service base station type is a macro base station before the handover, and the terminal service base station type becomes a home base station after the handover (ie, the base station type is changed), and the terminal is using the data service, and the Acc-A statistical traffic information is taken as an example, as follows:

The traffic counted by Acc-A before switching is 5 units. After the switch occurs, Acc-A counts 3 units of traffic. At this time, Acc-A can save the 5 units and 3 units of traffic separately. The first base station (5 units) is inserted into the serving base station type as a macro base station, and the second block (3 units) is inserted into the serving base station type as a home base station. This information is sent to Acc-C when the reporting time slot arrives.

Then, Acc-C can construct a UDR based on the information. For example, construct two UDRs. The flow rate is 5 units in the first UDR, and the macro base station is filled in the base station type. The flow rate is 3 units in the second UDR, and the base station type is filled in. Base station. For another example, construct a UDR, fill in two pieces of traffic information, fill in 5 units in the first paragraph, and indicate that the type of base station when the traffic is generated is a macro base station; fill in 3 units in the first paragraph, and indicate when the traffic is generated. The type of base station is a home base station. Finally, Acc-C can send these UDRs to Acc-S to perform differential billing for users.

With the same principle, Acc-A can perform the same operation when the user type of the terminal changes before or after the handover, or when the type of the base station and the user type change simultaneously, and finally achieve the purpose of supporting differential charging for the user. The principle is the same and will not be described here.

In the above process, the target base station sends the base station type information and/or the user type information to the Acc-C through the Acc-A, and is convertible. In step 503 and step 507 in this embodiment, the target base station may also pass the context information. The interactive message, or the MAC layer update message, sends the above-mentioned base station type, and/or user type directly to the Acc-C (anchor authenticator), which Acc-C saves locally, and can also combine these two parameters with The BSIDs of the above target base stations are associated. In this case, the Acc-A may not carry the base station type, and/or the user type when reporting the accounting information to the Acc-C. However, the Acc-A is also required to separately store the accounting information counted before and after the handover, and insert the BSID information of the serving base station therein. In this way, when the Acc-C receives the charging information and generates the UDR, the corresponding base station type, and/or user type can be found according to the BSID, and inserted into the UDR.

This embodiment describes the scene where Acc-A and Acc-C are separated. In fact, Acc-A and Acc-C also Can be located in the same access gateway. At this time, the foregoing target base station is used to notify the Acc-A (Ac-C) the above-mentioned base station type, and/or user type message, and may also be used to notify the Acc-C (Actra-A) base station type, and/or the user type. .

In addition, in the handover preparation phase before the handover is performed, the (candidate) target base station may also send the base station type, and/or the user type to the Acc-A/Acc-C through a message channel pre-establishment, context information interaction, and the like; When an uncontrolled handover is performed, the target base station may also send the base station type, and/or user type to the Acc-A/Acc-C through data channel establishment, context information exchange, MAC layer update, and the like, and the principles are the same.

Embodiment 4

Embodiment 3 describes the serving base station, and/or user type of the terminal (offline) charging agent/(offline) charging client after the handover, after the handover. FIG. 6 is a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the serving base station sends the foregoing base station type and/or user type to the charging proxy/billing during the initial network access process performed by the serving base station (home base station/base station). The client method includes the following steps:

Step 601: Performing air interface parameter synchronization and ranging between the terminal and the base station, where the base station includes a macro base station, a home base station, and the like;

Step 602: The terminal sends a basic capability negotiation request to the base station to negotiate the authentication capability (such as the user's authentication policy) with the network.

Step 603: The base station (including the home base station, the macro base station) sends a terminal pre-attachment request to the access gateway; after the access gateway processes the request, returns a terminal pre-attachment response to the base station;

The purpose of the foregoing terminal pre-attach request message is to notify the Authenticator located in the access gateway that a new terminal is about to enter the network, and also assist the terminal to negotiate with the access gateway for some subsequent parameters to be used.

The terminal pre-attach request (MS_PreAttachment_Req) may further carry the base station type information of the terminal service base station and/or the user type information of the terminal, and the method is sent to the Acc-A/Acc as described in step 504. -C.

Step 604: The base station returns a basic capability negotiation response to the terminal.

Step 605: The access gateway (anchor authenticator) starts an extensible authentication protocol (Extensible Authentication protocol (EPP), the user identity request is sent to the base station, and the base station forwards the request to the terminal;

Step 606: After receiving the user identity request, the terminal replies with the user identity response to the base station, and the base station forwards the response to the access gateway (anchor authenticator), where the base station type information of the serving base station carrying the terminal, and/or User type information of the terminal;

In this step, the base station transmits the user identity response of the terminal to the access gateway (anchor authenticator) using an EAP Forwarding message (EAP-Transfer). If the base station does not send the service base station type and/or the user type to the access gateway in the foregoing step (step 603), then the service base station type may be used by using the EAP forwarding message according to the method described in step 503. , and / or user type is sent to the access gateway. At this time, the Acc-A/Acc-C may acquire the base station type of the above-mentioned terminal serving base station from the EAP forwarding message, and/or the user type of the above terminal.

Step 607: Perform an EAP access authentication process between the AAA server and the terminal.

Step 608: The access gateway (anchor authenticator) sends a key change indication message to the base station (macro base station or home base station);

Step 609: Perform a PKMv2 handshake between the terminal and the base station, establish a security association between the two, and exchange a TEK key;

Step 610: The terminal sends a ranging request to the base station (macro base station or home base station);

Step 611: The base station (macro base station or home base station) performs a terminal attachment process for the terminal and the access gateway.

At this time, the base station can transmit the above-mentioned base station type, and/or user type to the Acc-A/Acc-C (access gateway) through the terminal attach request (MS_Attachment_Req).

Step 612: The base station (macro base station or home base station) sends a ranging response to the terminal.

Step 613: The base station helps the terminal to perform a data channel between the base station and the access gateway (anchor data channel function);

At this time, the base station can transmit the above-mentioned base station type, and/or user type to the Acc-A/Acc-C (access gateway) through a data channel establishment request (Path_Reg_Req).

Step 614: Continue to perform other processes related to user access. This embodiment can be regarded as a method for the Acc-A/Acc-C to acquire the base station type, and/or the user type before the handover.

In actual network deployment, Acc-A can also be deployed on the base station. At this time, the charging information of the terminal is collected by Acc-A on the base station. At this time, if the access gateway connected to the base station does not include an Acc-C (anchor authenticator), an agent needs to exist in the access gateway for the Acc-A and Acc-C on the intermediate base station. Communication between.

In the case of such a deployment, in the initial network access scenario, the base station itself is a serving base station, which can know the current serving base station type of the terminal, and/or the user type, and can base station type and/or according to an embodiment of the present invention. Or the user type is notified to the Acc-C; in the handover scenario, when the target base station becomes the serving base station (ie, when the handover is completed), the accounting information of the terminal is collected by the Acc-A on the target base station. The base station can also know the current service base station type and/or user type of the terminal, and put it in the charging information, and send it to the Acc-C.

In short, in this scenario of network deployment, the serving base station type, and/or user type can be sent to the Acc-C by the Acc-A in the serving base station via the Bulk Interim Update.

In the system connection diagram including the home base station shown in FIG. 1, there is also a network element called a Home Agent (HA), which is mainly used to implement Mobile IP in a mobile communication network. (Mobile IP) function.

As mentioned above, all upstream data will eventually be aggregated to the anchor data channel function; all downstream data will also be sent to the anchor data channel function first. After the introduction of HA, all the uplink data is further sent to the HA after being aggregated to the anchor data channel function; all the downlink data is first sent to the HA and then further sent to the anchor data channel function. At this point, it can be seen that the anchor data channel function is combined with a network element called a foreign agent (FA).

Acc-C can be on the HA and Acc-A will be on the FA. The first and second embodiments of the present invention are applicable to this scenario; and in the third to fourth embodiments, the above-mentioned anchor authenticator will no longer contain Acc-C, then the above-mentioned serving base station type, and/or The user type will first be obtained by Acc-A (FA) and sent to Acc-C. Communication between Acc-A and Acc-C can be accomplished by communication between the FA and the HA. In addition to the above-mentioned periodic billing information update request message, Acc-A also The service base station type, and/or user type, such as a MIP registration message, etc., may be delivered using a message defined by the Mobile IP (MIP) protocol.

As can be appreciated, the description of "A and / or B" appearing in the present invention includes three specific implementations, namely, only eight, only B, and A+B.

In order to implement the above method, the present invention further provides an offline charging system, where the system includes: a charging proxy, a charging client, and a charging server;

The charging proxy is configured to obtain the base station type information and/or user type information locally from the serving base station or from a message sent by the base station;

The obtaining, by the charging proxy, the base station type information and/or the user type information by using a message sent by the base station includes: when switching, by using a context information interaction message, a MAC layer update message, a data channel pre-establishment request message, or a data channel establishment request Message acquisition; At the time of initial network access, the request is obtained through a terminal pre-attach request, a user identity response, a terminal attach request, or a data channel establishment request.

The charging client and the charging proxy are connected through the network, and are configured to: obtain charging information of the terminal and send the charging information to the charging server, where the charging information includes base station type information used to indicate the type of the serving base station or used to represent the User type information of the terminal type;

The charging client obtains the base station type information and/or the user type information, and adopts one of the following methods:

The charging client obtains the base station type information and/or user type information from a charging proxy by using a charging information update request or a mobile IP protocol message;

The charging client obtains the base station type information and/or user type information by using a message sent by the base station, including: when switching, by using a context information interaction message, a MAC layer update message, a data channel pre-establishment request message, or a data channel Establishing a request message acquisition; when initially entering the network, obtaining a request by a terminal pre-attach request, a user identity response, a terminal attach request, or a data channel establishment request.

The charging client sends the charging information to the charging server by using a charging request, where the charging request is used to notify the charging server to start or end the charging request for charging the terminal. Or it is a charging request during billing.

The specific implementations of the charging proxy and the charging client described in the above methods are also applicable to the system of the present invention, and are not described herein again. The charging server is connected to the charging client through a network, and is configured to: receive the charging information, and charge the terminal according to the base station type information, user type information, or a combination of the two.

The charging server performs at least one of the following operations when charging the terminal according to the base station type information, user type information, or a combination of the two: classifying charging information of the terminal; Fee rate; select the billing mode for the terminal.

The serving base station type includes a macro base station and a home base station.

The serving base station type may further include a macro base station, an open mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station, and a closed mode home base station.

The terminal type includes a closed user group member and a non-closed user group member.

Industrial applicability

Compared with the prior art, the present invention can provide differentiated charging services for users of home base stations, and can attract and encourage users to widely use home base stations, thereby facilitating the smooth development of home base station services.

Claims

Claim

1. An offline charging method, the method comprising:

The charging client obtains the charging information of the terminal and sends the charging information to the charging server, where the charging information includes base station type information indicating a type of the serving base station and/or user type information indicating a type of the terminal; as well as

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the charging client sends the charging information to the charging server by using a charging request, where the charging request is used to notify the charging server to start. Or end the charging request for charging the terminal, or the charging request during the charging period.

The method of claim 1, wherein the charging client obtains the charging information of the terminal, the charging client acquiring the base station type information and/or the user by using one of the following manners: Type information:

The charging client obtains the base station type information and/or user type information by using a message sent by the base station, including: when switching, by using a context information interaction message, a media access control MAC layer update message, a data channel pre-establishment request message Or the data channel establishment request message acquisition; in the initial network access, the data channel establishment request message, the terminal pre-attach request message, the extensible authentication protocol EAP forwarding message, the user identity response message, or the terminal attach request message acquisition.

The method of claim 3, before the step of the charging client acquiring the base station type information and/or the user type information from the charging proxy, the method further comprising:

The charging proxy obtains the base station type information and/or the user type information by one of the following methods:

The charging proxy locally acquires the base station type information and/or user type information from the serving base station; The charging agent obtains the base station type information and/or user type information by using a message sent by the base station, and includes: establishing, by using a context information interaction message, a MAC layer update message, a data channel pre-establishment request message, or a data channel, during handover Request message acquisition; In the initial network access, the data channel setup request message, the terminal pre-attach request message, the EAP forward message, the user identity response message, or the terminal attach request message is obtained.

The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of charging the terminal according to the base station type information and/or user type information, the charging server performs at least the following operations. a classifying the charging information of the terminal; selecting a charging rate for the terminal; and selecting a charging mode for the terminal.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the serving base station is a macro base station or a home base station.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the serving base station is a macro base station, an open mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station or a closed mode home base station.

The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the terminal is: a closed user group member or a non-closed user group member.

An offline charging system, comprising: an accounting client and a charging server, wherein the charging client is configured to acquire charging information of the terminal and send the charging information to the charging server, where the charging information is Included with the base station type information indicating the type of the serving base station and/or user type information indicating the type of the terminal;

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the charging client is configured to send the charging information to the charging server by using a charging request, and the charging request is used for a notification The fee server starts or ends the charging request for charging the terminal, or the charging request during the charging.

The system according to claim 9, wherein the charging client is configured to acquire the base station type information and/or user type information by using a message sent by the base station, including: Obtaining through the context information interaction message, the medium access control MAC layer update message, the data channel pre-establishment request message, or the data channel establishment request message; during the initial network access, the terminal pre-attach request message, the user identity response message, and the terminal attach request message An extensible authentication protocol EAP forwarding message or data channel setup request message acquisition.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein:

The system further includes a charging proxy connected to the charging client, the charging client further configured to acquire the base station type information and/or the user from the charging proxy by using a charging information update request or a mobile IP protocol message. Type information

The charging proxy is configured to obtain the base station type information and/or the user type information by one of the following methods:

Acquiring the base station type information and/or user type information from the serving base station; acquiring the base station type information and/or user type information by using a message sent by the base station, including: Layer update message, data channel pre-establishment request message or data channel setup request message acquisition; when initial network access, through terminal pre-attach request message, user identity response message, terminal attach request message, EAP forwarding message or data channel setup request message acquisition .

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the charging server is configured to perform at least one of the following operations when charging the terminal according to the base station type information and/or user type information: Classification of charging information of the terminal; selecting a charging rate for the terminal; and selecting a charging mode for the terminal.

The system according to claim 9, wherein the serving base station is a macro base station or a home base station; wherein the home base station is: an open mode home base station, a hybrid mode home base station, or a closed mode home base station.

The system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the terminal is: a closed user group member or a non-closed user group member.