WO2014082519A1

WO2014082519A1 - Charging method, and policy enforcement and policy and charging rules function devices

Info

Publication number: WO2014082519A1
Application number: PCT/CN2013/086339
Authority: WO
Inventors: 毛玉欣; 周晓云; 宗在峰
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2012-11-28
Filing date: 2013-10-31
Publication date: 2014-06-05
Also published as: CN103856926A

Abstract

A charging method, and policy enforcement and policy and charging rules function devices. The charging method comprises: a policy enforcement function entity collecting statistics on a packet loss amount for a data stream, and when the packet loss amount reaches a set packet loss threshold, reporting the packet loss amount to a policy and charging rules function entity; the policy and charging rules function entity reporting the packet loss amount to a charging system; and the charging system executing charging correction according to the packet loss amount.

Description

Accounting method and policy execution, policy and charging rule function device

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a charging method and a policy enforcement, policy, and charging rule function device.

Background technique

The Policy and Charging Control (PCC) architecture defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is shown in Figure 1. The functions of each entity are described as follows:

The Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) is used to formulate resource control policies, including QoS (Quality of Service) control policies and charging control, for the service data flows included in the service. Strategy.

PCEF (Policy and Charging Enforcement Function) is used to perform PCC rules pre-configured on the PCF or preconfigured on the PCEF to detect and identify Internet Protocol (IP) packets transmitted on the network. The service data flow to which the IP packet belongs, and provides QoS and charging control for the service data flow.

The BBERF (Bearer Binding and Event Report Function) is mainly used to detect IP packets transmitted on the network and map the IP packets to the bearer channel according to the rules. The BBERF also performs the reporting of the bearer-related event. For example, when the bearer is lost or the access network is switched, the event is reported to the PCRF to request the PCRF to make a decision.

The TDF (Traffic Detection Function) is used to perform application detection and report the detected application information to the PCRF. It is also possible to implement policy control on the detected application according to the policy issued by the PCRF, for example, gating, bandwidth limitation, application redirection, and collecting and reporting charging information to the charging system.

The SPR (Subscription Profile Repository) is used to store the service information subscribed by the user, and provides the necessary user subscription information for the PCRF to formulate PCC rules. OCS (Online Charging System, Online Charging System) and OFCS (Offline Charging System) are used for offline charging and online charging, respectively.

When the user accesses the network, an IP Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session is established between the PCEF and the PCRF, and the PCRF sends the service data flow to the PCEF. QoS and charging policies. The process by which PCC provides QoS and charging control for services is described as follows:

When the user conducts the service, the application function (AF) reports the service information or the application information detected by the TDF to the PCRF, where the service information and/or the application information includes a quintuple and other services such as services/applications. Type and other information. The PCRF formulates a PCC rule for the data flow according to the service information and/or the application information, where the PCC rule includes a Service Data Flow Template (SDF Template, ie, contains quintuple information), and a service/application identifier. Authorized QoS and bandwidth (including QoS Class Identifier (QCI), Maximum Bit Rate (MBR) and Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR)), and charging policies. The PCRF sends the PCC rule to the PCEF. The PCEF performs the bearer binding according to the QCI. If the QCI of the existing bearer corresponds to the QCI in the PCC rule, the PCC rule is bound to the bearer. If the QCI of the bearer does not correspond to the QCI of the PCC rule, the PCEF initiates A bearer that matches the QCI is established, and the PCC rule is bound to the bearer. After the bearer binding is completed, the correspondence between the PCC rules and the bearers is established. PCC rules with the same QCI can be bound to the same bearer, that is, multiple service data streams can share the same bearer. Thereafter, when the data packet passes through the PCEF, the PCEF matches the quintuple of the data packet with the SDF Template on the bearer. When it matches the SDF template, it knows which PCC rule is used for the data packet, and then according to the binding relationship between the PCC rule and the bearer, it knows which bearer to use for the data packet. Therefore, the data packet is provided with a corresponding QoS and bandwidth guarantee, and the charging information of the data packet is collected and reported to the charging system according to the charging policy.

The above bearers are classified into GBR bearers and non-GBR (Non-GBR) bearers. The GBR bearer provides absolute QoS and bandwidth guarantee for the service data flow. That is, the data packet using the bearer must provide the service quality guarantee according to the QoS and bandwidth resources allocated by the authorization, even if the resource usage is tight in the network. In this case, resources will not be seized by other data packets. Non-GBR bearer It provides relative QoS and bandwidth guarantees for business data flows. All the service data flows on the Non-GBR bearer share an Access Point Name-Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (APN-AMBR) (this information is shared by all Non-GBR services carried out by the user. The contracted bandwidth is delivered to the PCEF when the IP-CAN session is established. When the network resources are sufficient to be allocated to the service data flow according to the authorized QoS and bandwidth of each service data flow, QoS and bandwidth guarantee may be provided for the network data resources. When the network resources are used, the service data flow is Resource preemption will be performed in accordance with QCI. Therefore, services carried using Non-GBR cannot obtain reliable QoS and bandwidth guarantee from the network.

When TDF is deployed on the network, there is a problem of inaccurate charging during billing. For example, as shown in Figure 2, when the data stream passes through the TDF at a rate of 200 kb/s, the TDF applies detection and control according to the application sent by the PCRF (Application Detection and Control). The ADC rule detects the data stream, identifies the application, and allows the data flow to pass according to the control policy on the TDF, and records the traffic information and reports it to the charging system. However, when the data stream arrives at the PCEF, the quintuple of the data stream matches the SDF template, and the PCEF controls the PCEC according to the corresponding PCC rules, and the traffic is changed to 150 kb/s, causing packet loss. Since TDF does not know that the flow rate is limited when it passes through the PCEF, it causes packet loss, which in turn causes the traffic on the TDF to be larger than the traffic on the PCEF. When the user is charged in this case, the traffic should be charged according to the actual received traffic (that is, the traffic after packet loss on the PCEF). Obviously, the traffic reported by the TDF to the charging system is inaccurate. The billing of traffic will inevitably lead to the problem of excessive charges.

For the above-mentioned inconsistency in the control of the TDF and the PCEF for the same data stream, and thus the usage (for example, the traffic, the time, and the like) is inconsistent, and the charging is inaccurate, the related art proposes a solution, which includes the following steps:

Step (1), all the SDF templates on the PCEF are reported to the TDF through the PCRF. Step (2), when the data stream passes through the TDF for detection, the TDF matches the quintuple information of the data stream with the SDF Template.

If the quintuple information and all the SDF templates do not match, there is no corresponding PCC rule on the PCEF to control the data flow. Therefore, the amount of the TDF flowing through the PCEF is the same as the amount flowing through the PCEF, and the charging is not accurate. Happening. In this case, the TDF reports the usage directly to the billing system. Information.

If the quintuple information matches the SDF template, it means that there is a corresponding PCC rule on the PCEF to control the data flow, which may result in the usage of the data stream on the TDF and PCEF.

Step (3), in the case that the step (2) is matched, the TDF reports the SDF template corresponding to the data stream to the PCRF.

In step (4), the PCRF requests the PCEF to report the usage information of the data stream corresponding to the SDF template, and sends the usage information to the TDF.

In step (5), the TDF is used for the amount correction.

For example, TDF compares the amount collected on the TDF with the amount collected from the PCEF (reported to the TDF via the PCRF). If the amount on the TDF is greater than the amount on the PCEF, the TDF reports the amount collected by the PCEF to the billing system, if TDF If the amount used is less than the amount on the PCEF, the TDF will charge the amount collected by itself to the billing system.

In the above process of controlling the data flow, in order to achieve accurate billing, the PCRF needs to continuously monitor the amount on the PCEF, and needs to pass it to the TDF through the PCRF, or monitor the amount on the TDF and pass the amount to the PCEF through the PCRF. For quantity correction, accurate billing is achieved. This way of transferring usage on the Gx interface (between PCEF and PCRF) and Sd interface (between TDF and PCRF), when there are a large number of data streams in the network, it will cause frequent transmission and processing of usage information, which is bound to be It will increase the processing load of system equipment and affect network stability. Summary of the invention

The embodiments of the present invention provide a charging method and a policy execution, policy, and charging rule function device to improve the accuracy of charging.

The embodiment of the invention provides a charging method, including:

The policy execution function entity reports the packet loss amount for the data flow, and reports the packet loss amount to the policy and charging rule function PCRF entity when the packet loss amount reaches the set packet loss threshold.

The PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system;

The charging system performs charging correction according to the amount of packet loss. Optionally, the set packet loss threshold is pre-configured on the policy execution function entity; or

Optionally, the policy enforcement function entity is a policy and charging execution function PCEF entity or a flow detection function TDF entity.

Optionally, the PCRF entity sends the packet loss amount to the charging system: the PCRF entity directly reports the packet loss amount to the charging system; or

The PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system by using a TDF entity; or the PCRF entity device reports the packet loss amount to the charging system by using a PCEF entity. Optionally, the set packet loss threshold is a value, or is a time.

Optionally, the foregoing method further includes:

The TDF entity performs charging, and sets a packet loss threshold on the PCEF entity, and the TDF entity collects charging information for the data flow and reports the information to the charging system; wherein the policy execution function entity is for the data flow. The amount of packet loss is reported, and when the packet loss reaches the set packet loss threshold, reporting the packet loss to the PCRF entity includes:

The PCEF entity collects the packet loss amount for the data flow, and when the packet loss amount reaches the packet loss threshold, the PCEF entity reports the packet loss amount to the PCRF entity;

The reporting, by the PCRF entity, the amount of the packet loss to the charging system includes:

The PCRF entity directly reports the packet loss amount to the charging system, or the PCRF entity sends the packet loss amount to the charging system through the TDF;

The method further includes:

The charging system performs the charging correction according to the charging information reported by the TDF entity and the amount of packet loss.

Optionally, the foregoing method further includes:

The PCEF entity performs charging, and sets a packet loss threshold on the TDF entity, and the PCEF entity collects charging information for the data flow and reports the charging information to the charging system;

The policy execution function entity collects the packet loss amount for the data flow, and when the packet loss amount reaches the set packet loss threshold, reporting the packet loss amount to the PCRF entity includes: The TDF entity reports the packet loss amount for the data stream, and when the packet loss amount reaches the packet loss threshold, the TDF entity reports the packet loss amount to the PCRF;

The PCRF entity directly reports the packet loss amount to the charging system, or the PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system by using the PCEF entity;

The method further includes:

The charging system performs the charging correction according to the charging information reported by the PCEF entity and the amount of packet loss. The embodiment of the invention further provides a policy execution device, comprising: a statistical unit, a determining unit and an upper unit, wherein:

The statistical unit is configured to: count the amount of packet loss for the data stream;

The determining unit is configured to: determine whether the amount of packet loss counted by the statistical unit reaches a set packet loss threshold;

The reporting unit is configured to report the packet loss amount to the policy and charging rule function PCRF device when the determining unit determines that the amount of packet loss reaches the set packet loss threshold.

Optionally, the set packet loss threshold is previously configured on the policy execution device; or

The set packet loss threshold is sent by the PCRF device to the policy enforcement device. Optionally, the set packet loss threshold is a value, or is a time.

Optionally, the policy enforcement device is a policy and charging execution function PCEF entity or a flow detection function TDF entity.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a policy and charging rule function PCRF device, including: a receiving unit and a sending unit, where:

The receiving unit is configured to: receive the amount of packet loss reported by the policy execution device;

The sending unit is configured to: report the received packet loss amount to the charging system.

Optionally, the sending unit is further configured to: send a packet loss threshold to the policy execution device. Optionally, the packet loss threshold is a value, or is a time.

Optionally, the sending unit is configured to report the received packet loss amount to the charging system in the following manner:

Directly reporting the amount of the packet loss to the charging system; or

The packet loss function is sent to the charging system by the TDF entity; or the packet loss amount is reported to the charging system by the PCEF entity. An optimization scheme for charging correction proposed by the technical solution of the present application solves the problem that the control of the same data stream is inconsistent on the PCEF and the TDF, resulting in inaccurate charging on the TDF and the PCEF. At the same time, it avoids the problem that the network processing burden is increased due to frequent transmission and processing of a large amount of usage information, which affects the stability of the network. BRIEF abstract

1 is a schematic diagram of a related art 3GPP PCC architecture;

2 is a schematic diagram of data stream processing under the control of PCC of the related art;

3 is a flowchart of a charging method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

4 is a flowchart of a charging method of scenario 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a charging method of scenario 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a flowchart of a charging method of scenario 3 in the embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a flowchart of a charging method of scenario 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a flowchart of a charging method of scenario 5 in the embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a structural diagram of a policy execution device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

Figure 10 is a structural diagram of a policy and charging rule function device of Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Preferred embodiment of the invention

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, The features of the embodiments and the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other arbitrarily without conflict.

Example 1

In this embodiment, a charging method is introduced. The implementation process of the method is as shown in FIG. 3, and includes the following steps 301 to 303.

Step 301: The policy execution function entity collects the packet loss amount for the data flow, and reports the packet loss amount to the PCRF entity when the packet loss amount reaches the set packet loss threshold.

In this step, the set packet loss threshold may be configured on the policy execution device in advance, or may be sent by the policy control device to the policy execution device. In this embodiment, the policy control device is a PCRF entity.

It should also be noted that the set packet loss threshold may be a value or a time. When the value is set to a value, that is, when the number of lost packets reaches a certain value, the report is triggered. When it is set to time, that is, when the packet loss statistics reaches a certain time, the report is triggered.

In addition, in this embodiment, the policy enforcement function entity includes a PCEF entity and a TDF entity. In this step, when the packet loss is counted for the data stream, it is performed by the PCEF entity or the TDF entity.

Step 302: The PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system.

In this step, the policy control device directly reports the amount of packet loss to the charging system. Alternatively, the policy control device reports the packet loss amount to the charging system through other network element devices. The policy control device is PCRF step 303, and the charging system performs charging correction according to the amount of packet loss.

The TDF entity performs the charging, and sets the packet loss threshold on the PCEF entity. The TDF entity collects the accounting information for the data flow and reports it to the charging system. The PCEF entity collects the packet loss amount for the data flow, and when the packet loss reaches the packet loss. When the value is wide, the PCEF entity reports the packet loss to the PCRF entity, and the PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system. The charging system performs the charging correction according to the charging information reported by the TDF entity and the packet loss reported by the PCEF entity. .

The PCEF entity performs the charging, and sets the packet loss threshold on the TDF entity. The PCEF entity collects the charging information for the data flow and reports it to the charging system. The TDF entity counts the packet loss amount for the data flow. When the packet loss reaches the packet loss threshold, the TDF entity reports the packet loss to the PCRF entity, and the PCRF entity reports the packet loss to the charging system. The charging system reports the accounting information reported by the PCEF and the TDF entity reports the lost packet. The amount is performed to perform billing correction.

The implementation process of the foregoing charging method will be described below in combination with various application scenarios.

scene one

This topic describes how to implement accounting on the TDF, configure the packet loss threshold on the PCEF, and perform packet loss statistics on the service that sends the service information to the AF. In this scenario, the billing process is as shown in Figure 4, including the following steps:

Step 401: Configure a packet loss threshold on the PCEF.

It should be noted that the packet loss threshold configured on the PCEF may be a packet loss value, that is, when the number of packet loss statistics reaches a certain value, it needs to be reported. The packet loss threshold can also be a time value, that is, when the packet loss statistics reach a certain time, it needs to be reported.

In addition, the packet loss threshold configured on the PCEF can be used for each service data stream on the PCEF. The same packet loss threshold can be used for each data stream on the PCEF.

Step 402: Install an ADC rule on the TDF. The ADC rule is used to perform flow detection on the TDF, and is sent by the PCRF to the TDF or configured on the TDF. Send the SDF Template corresponding to all activated PCC rules on the PCEF to the TDF.

Step 403: The user conducts a service, and the AF sends the service information to the PCRF.

Step 404: The PCRF makes policy decisions for the service according to the service information, the user subscription information, and the operator policy, and formulates a PCC rule for the service data flow.

Step 405: The PCRF sends the PCC rule to the PCEF.

Step 406: The PCRF sends the SDF Template corresponding to the PCC rule to the TDF, and the TDF performs the SDF Template update.

Step 407: When the service data flow arrives at the TDF, the TDF first performs flow detection according to the ADC rule delivered by the PCRF.

Step 408: The TDF detects the quintuple of the service data stream, and matches all the SDF templates on the quintuple and the TDF. The TDF collects usage for the business data stream. The business The usage of the data stream and the corresponding SDF Template are reported to the OCS.

Step 409: When the service data flow arrives at the PCEF, the PCEF performs policy control on the service data flow according to the PCC rule.

Step 410: The PCEF collects a packet loss amount of the service data flow.

Step 411: The PCEF reports the packet loss amount and the SDF Template of the service data flow to the PCRF when the packet loss of the service data flow reaches the threshold.

Step 412: The PCRF reports the packet loss and the SDF template of the service data flow to the OCS. In fact, there are two methods:

In the first mode, the PCRF directly reports the SDF Template and the packet loss information of the service data flow to the OCS through the Sy interface.

In the second mode, the PCRF reports the SDF Template and the packet loss information of the service data flow to the TDF through the Sd interface, and then the TDF sends the SDF Template and the packet loss amount to the OCS.

Step 413: The OCS associates the usage information of the service data flow reported by the TDF with the SDF template, and the packet loss information reported by the PCRF or the TDF, and the OCS deducts the packet loss information from the usage information to obtain the service data flow. Accurate traffic, so that accurate accounting can be implemented for the service data flow.

Scene two

In this scenario, the accounting is implemented on the TDF, and the packet loss threshold is sent to the PCEF through the PCRF, and the packet loss statistics are performed on the service that sends the service information to the AF. In this scenario, the accounting process is as shown in Figure 5, including the following steps:

Step 501: Install an ADC rule on the TDF. The ADC rule is used to perform flow detection on the TDF, and is sent by the PCRF to the TDF or configured on the TDF. The SDF template corresponding to the PCC rule activated on the PCEF is reported to the TDF.

Step 502: The user conducts a service, and the AF sends the service information to the PCRF.

Step 503: The PCRF performs policy decision on the service according to the service information, the user subscription information, and the operator policy, and formulates a PCC rule for the service data flow. Step 504: The PCRF sends the PCC rule to the PCEF.

Step 505: The PCRF sends the SDF Template corresponding to the PCC rule to the TDF. Step 506: When the service data flow arrives at the TDF, the TDF first performs flow detection according to the ADC rule delivered by the PCRF. When the quintuple of the service data stream is detected, the quintuple is matched with all SDF templates on the TDF.

In step 507, the TDF collects the usage of the service data stream. The TDF reports the SDF Template and the collected usage information that match the service data flow to the OCS.

Step 508: The TDF reports the SDF Template matching the quintuple of the service data flow to the PCRF.

Step 509: The PCRF sends the SDF template and the packet loss threshold to the PCEF, and the packet data of the service data flow corresponding to the SDF template needs to be performed, and the packet loss amount needs to be reported when the threshold is reached.

Step 510: When the service data flow reaches the PCEF, the PCEF performs policy control on the service data flow according to the PCC rule.

Step 511: The PCEF, according to the indication, calculates a packet loss amount for the service data flow corresponding to the SDF template.

Step 512: The PCEF reports the packet loss amount and the SDF template to the PCRF when the packet loss amount of the service data flow reaches the threshold.

Step 513: The PCRF reports the packet loss amount and the SDF template to the OCS. It reports the process reference step 411 of the scenario one.

Step 514: The OCS associates the usage information of the service data flow reported by the TDF with the SDF template, and the packet loss information reported in step 513, and the OCS deducts the usage information from the usage information to obtain the service data flow. Accurate traffic, so that accurate accounting can be implemented for the service data flow. If the service data stream has arrived at the PCEF and starts to lose packets before the PCRF sends the packet loss statistics indication to the PCEF in step 509, the packet loss pre-statistics may be set in the PCEF, and after receiving the indication, It is included in the scope of official statistics. If the indication is not received, the PCEF discards the amount of packet loss for that portion. Scene three

In this scenario, the accounting is implemented on the TDF, and the packet loss threshold is sent to the PCEF through the PCRF to perform packet loss statistics on the application service that needs TDF detection. In this scenario, the accounting process is shown in Figure 6, which includes the following steps:

Step 601: Install an ADC rule on the TDF. The ADC rule is used to perform flow detection on the TDF, and is sent by the PCRF to the TDF or configured on the TDF. The SDF template corresponding to the PCC rule activated on the PCEF is reported to the TDF.

Step 602: When the service data flow arrives at the TDF, the TDF first performs flow detection according to the ADC rule delivered by the PCRF. When the quintuple of the service data stream is detected, the quintuple is matched with all SDF templates on the TDF.

Step 603: The TDF collects the usage corresponding to the service data flow. The TDF will match the SDF Template and the collected usage of the quintuple of the service data stream to the OCS.

Step 604: The TDF reports the SDF Template matching the quintuple of the service data flow to the PCRF.

Step 605: The PCRF sends the SDF template and the packet loss threshold to the PCEF, and the indication needs to perform packet loss statistics on the service data flow corresponding to the SDF template, and needs to report the packet loss amount when the threshold is reached.

Step 606: When the service data flow arrives at the PCEF, the PCEF performs policy control on the service data flow according to the PCC rule.

Step 607: The PCEF, according to the indication, counts the amount of packet loss for the service data flow corresponding to the SDF template.

Step 608: The PCEF reports the packet loss amount and the SDF template to the PCRF when the packet loss statistics of the service data flow reaches the threshold.

Step 609: The PCRF reports the packet loss amount and the SDF template to the OCS. It reports the process reference step 411 of the scenario one.

Step 610: The OCS associates the usage information of the service data flow reported by the TDF with the SDF template, and the packet loss information reported in step 609, and the OCS deducts the usage information. The packet loss information obtains the accurate traffic of the service data flow, so that the service data flow can be accurately charged.

Scene four

In this scenario, the accounting is implemented on the PCEF, and the packet loss threshold is sent to the TDF through the PCRF to perform packet loss statistics on the application service that needs TDF detection. The charging process in this scenario is shown in Figure 7, and includes the following steps:

Step 701: Install an ADC rule on the TDF. The ADC rule is used to perform flow detection on the TDF, and is sent by the PCRF to the TDF or configured on the TDF. The SDF template corresponding to the PCC rule activated on the PCEF is reported to the TDF.

Step 702: When the service data flow arrives at the PCEF, the PCEF performs uplink bearer binding verification, verifies whether the service data flow uses the corresponding bearer transmission, and executes a corresponding control policy.

Step 703: The PCEF collects the usage of the service data flow, and reports the usage and the SDF Template of the service data flow to the OCS.

Step 704: When the service data flow arrives at the TDF, the TDF first performs flow detection according to the ADC rule delivered by the PCRF. When the quintuple of the service data stream is detected, the quintuple is matched with all SDF templates on the TDF.

Step 705: If the quintuple of the service data stream matches the SDF template, the TDF reports the SDF template that matches the quintuple of the service data flow to the PCRF.

Step 706: The PCRF sends the SDF template and the packet loss threshold to the TDF, indicating that the packet data is to be sent for the service data flow corresponding to the SDF template, and the packet loss amount needs to be reported when the threshold is reached.

Step 707: When the service data flow reaches the PCEF, the PCEF performs policy control on the service data flow according to the PCC rule.

Step 708: The TDF calculates the amount of packet loss for the service data flow corresponding to the SDF Template according to the indication.

Step 709: When the TDF statistics on the packet loss of the service data flow reaches a threshold, the TDF will use the packet loss amount and the JDF PCRF on the SDF Template. In step 710, the PCRF reports the packet loss and the SDF template of the service data flow to the OCS.

In the second mode, the PCRF reports the SDF of the service data flow to the PCEF through the Gx interface.

Template and packet loss information, PCEF to OCS on the SDF Template and the amount of packet loss.

Step 711: The OCS associates the usage information of the service data flow reported by the TDF with the SDF template, and the packet loss information reported in step 710, and the OCS deducts the usage information from the usage information to obtain the service data flow. Accurate traffic, so that accurate accounting can be implemented for the service data flow.

Scene five

In this scenario, the accounting is implemented on the PCEF. The packet loss threshold is configured on the TDF to perform packet loss statistics on the application services that require TDF detection. The charging process in this scenario is shown in Figure 8. It includes the following steps:

Step 801: Configure a packet loss threshold on the TDF. The threshold value can be the value of the packet loss amount, that is, when the packet loss statistics reaches a certain amount, the value needs to be reported, or the threshold value is a time threshold, that is, when the packet loss statistics reaches a certain time, it needs to be up. The packet loss threshold configured on the TDF can be used for each service data stream on the TDF.

Step 802: Install an ADC rule on the TDF. The ADC rule is used to perform flow detection on the TDF, and is sent by the PCRF to the TDF or configured on the TDF. Send the SDF Template corresponding to all activated PCC rules on the PCEF to the TDF.

Step 803: When the service data flow arrives at the PCEF, the PCEF performs uplink bearer binding verification, verifies whether the service data flow uses the corresponding bearer transmission, and executes a corresponding control policy.

Step 804: The PCEF collects the usage of the service data flow, and reports the usage and the SDF template corresponding to the service data flow to the OCS.

Step 805: When the service data flow arrives at the TDF, the TDF first performs flow detection according to the ADC rule delivered by the PCRF. Detecting a five-tuple of the business data stream, and the five-tuple and TDF All SDF Templates are matched. And counting the amount of packet loss of the service data flow. Step 806: When the packet loss amount of the service data stream reaches a threshold, the TDF sends the packet loss amount to the SDF Template corresponding to the service data stream.

Step 807: The PCRF reports the packet loss and the SDF template of the service data flow to the OCS. In fact, there are two methods:

In the second mode, the PCRF reports the SDF Template and the packet loss information of the service data flow to the PCEF through the Gx interface, and the PCEF sends the SDF Template and the packet loss amount to the OCS.

Step 808: The OCS associates the usage information of the service data flow reported by the TDF with the SDF template, and the packet loss information reported in step 807, and the OCS deducts the usage information from the usage information to obtain the service data flow. Accurate traffic, so that accurate accounting can be implemented for the service data flow. In this embodiment, a charging device is introduced, which includes at least a policy execution device, a policy control device, and a charging system.

The policy execution device is configured to: report the packet loss amount to the data flow, and report the packet loss amount to the policy control device when the packet loss amount reaches the set packet loss threshold;

It should be noted that the set packet loss threshold is configured on the policy execution device in advance, or may be sent to the policy execution device by the policy control device. In addition, the set packet loss threshold may be a packet loss threshold, that is, when the packet loss statistics reach a certain amount, it needs to be reported, or the threshold may be a time threshold, that is, the packet loss statistics reach a certain value. Time needs to be reported.

In this embodiment, the policy enforcement device may be a PCEF entity or a TDF entity.

The policy control device is configured to: report the received packet loss amount to the charging system;

The policy control device can directly report the packet loss amount to the charging system. Or the policy control device reports the packet loss amount to the charging system through the TDF entity or the PCEF entity.

In this embodiment, the policy control device is a PCRF entity.

The charging system is configured to: perform charging correction according to the received packet loss amount. The following describes the working process of the above device in combination with the application scenario.

Assume that the PCEF entity is a policy enforcement device, and the TDF entity performs charging. The TDF entity collects charging information for the data flow and reports it to the charging system. The PCEF entity collects the packet loss amount for the data flow. When the packet loss reaches the packet loss. When the value is wide, the PCEF entity reports the packet loss to the PCRF entity, and the PCRF entity reports the packet loss to the charging system. The charging system can report the packet loss information reported by the TDF entity and the packet loss reported by the PCEF entity. Perform the billing correction.

Assuming that the TDF entity is the policy enforcement device and the PCEF entity performs the charging, the PCEF entity collects the charging information for the data flow and reports it to the charging system. The TDF entity collects the packet loss amount for the data flow, and when the packet loss reaches the lost amount. When the packet is wide, the TDF entity reports the packet loss to the PCRF entity, and the PCRF entity reports the packet loss to the charging system. The charging system performs the accounting information reported by the PCEF entity and the packet loss reported by the TDF entity. Billing correction can be.

Example 2

In this embodiment, a policy execution device is introduced. As shown in FIG. 9, the policy execution device includes at least a statistics unit 91, a determining unit 92, and an upper unit 93.

The statistical unit 91 is configured to: count the amount of packet loss for the data stream;

The determining unit 92 is configured to: determine whether the counted amount of lost packets reaches a set value of the lost packet; it should be noted that the packet loss threshold used by the determining unit 92 in the determining operation is configured in advance in the policy execution. On the device. It can also be sent to the policy execution device by the PCRF device. In addition, the set packet loss threshold may be a value or a time.

The reporting unit 93 is configured to report the packet loss amount to the PCRF device when it is determined that the packet loss amount reaches the set packet loss threshold.

In this embodiment, the above policy enforcement device may use a PCEF device or a TDF device.

Embodiment 3 This embodiment introduces a PCRF device. As shown in FIG. 10, the PCRF device includes: a receiving unit 101 and a transmitting unit 102.

The receiving unit 101 is configured to: receive a packet loss amount reported by the policy execution device; The sending unit 102 is configured to: report the received packet loss amount to the charging system.

When the sending unit 102 reports the packet loss, the packet loss amount can be directly reported to the charging system. In addition, the preferred solution proposes that the sending unit 102 in the PCRF device can report the packet loss amount to the policy execution device, so that the policy execution device can use the packet loss threshold according to the packet loss threshold. Determine when to report the amount of lost packets. It should be noted that the packet loss threshold may be a value or a time.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that all or a portion of the steps described above can be accomplished by a program that instructs the associated hardware to be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as a read only memory, disk or optical disk. Alternatively, all or part of the steps of the above embodiments may also be implemented using one or more integrated circuits. Correspondingly, each module/unit in the above embodiment may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. This application is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All modifications, equivalents, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Industrial applicability

In the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the problem that the control is inconsistent on the PCEF and the TDF for the same data flow is solved, and the usage inconsistency between the TDF and the PCEF causes the charging to be inaccurate. At the same time, it avoids the problem that the network processing burden caused by frequent transmission and processing of a large amount of usage information leads to network stability.

Claims

claims

1. A billing method, including:

The policy execution function entity counts the packet loss amount for the data flow, and when the packet loss amount reaches the set packet loss threshold, reports the packet loss amount to the policy and charging rule function PCRF entity;

The PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the billing system; and

The charging system performs charging correction according to the packet loss amount.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein,

The set packet loss threshold is preconfigured on the policy execution function entity; or,

3. The method of claim 1, wherein,

The policy execution function entity is a policy and charging execution function PCEF entity or a flow detection function TDF entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein,

The PCRF entity reporting the packet loss amount to the billing system includes:

The PCRF entity directly reports the packet loss amount to the billing system; or

The PCRF reports the packet loss amount to the charging system through the TDF entity; or the PCRF reports the packet loss amount to the charging system through the PCEF entity.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

The set packet loss threshold is a numerical value or a time.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

When the TDF entity performs charging, a packet loss threshold is set on the PCEF entity, and the TDF entity collects charging information for the data flow and reports it to the charging system;

Wherein, the policy execution function entity counts the packet loss amount for the data flow, and when the packet loss amount reaches the set packet loss threshold, reporting the packet loss amount to the PCRF entity includes:

The PCEF entity counts the packet loss amount for the data flow. When the packet loss amount reaches the packet loss threshold, the PCEF entity reports the packet loss amount to the PCRF entity; The PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the billing system including:

The PCRF entity directly reports the packet loss amount to the charging system, or the PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system through the TDF entity;

The method also includes:

The charging system performs charging correction based on the charging information reported by the TDF entity and the packet loss amount.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

When the PCEF entity performs charging, a packet loss threshold is set on the TDF entity, and the PCEF entity collects charging information for the data flow and reports it to the charging system;

The TDF entity counts the packet loss amount for the data flow, and when the packet loss amount reaches the packet loss threshold, the TDF entity reports the packet loss amount to the PCRF;

The PCRF entity directly reports the packet loss amount to the charging system, or the PCRF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system through the PCEF;

The method also includes:

The charging system performs charging correction based on the charging information reported by the PCEF entity and the packet loss amount.

8. A policy execution device, including: a statistics unit, a judgment unit and a reporting unit, wherein: the statistics unit is set to: count packet loss for data flows;

The judgment unit is configured to: judge whether the packet loss counted by the statistics unit reaches a set packet loss threshold; and

The reporting unit is configured to: when the judgment unit determines that the statistical packet loss amount reaches the set packet loss threshold, report the packet loss amount to the policy and charging rule function PCRF device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein,

The set packet loss threshold is configured in advance on the policy execution device; or, The set packet loss threshold is delivered by the PCRF device to the policy execution device.

10. The device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein,

The set packet loss threshold is a numerical value or a time.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein,

The policy execution device is the policy and charging execution function PCEF entity or the flow detection function

TDF entity.

12. A policy and charging rule function PCRF equipment, including: a receiving unit and a sending unit, where:

The receiving unit is set to: receive the packet loss amount reported by the policy execution device; and

The sending unit is set to: report the received packet loss amount to the billing system.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein,

The sending unit is further configured to: deliver a packet loss threshold to the policy execution device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein,

The packet loss threshold is a numerical value or a time.

15. The device according to claim 12, 13 or 14, wherein,

The sending unit is configured to report the received packet loss amount to the charging system in the following manner: directly reporting the packet loss amount to the charging system; or

The TDF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system through the flow detection function; or the PCEF entity reports the packet loss amount to the charging system through the policy and charging execution function PCEF entity.