WO2016029673A1 - Access network congestion status reporting method, congestion information update processing method, and device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are an access network congestion status reporting method, a congestion information update processing method, and a device. The access network congestion status reporting method comprises: an RCAF entity obtains a network area managed by the RCAF entity; in one of the following situations, the RCAF entity reports RUCI carrying congestion status indication information to a PCRF entity, the congestion status indication information being used for indicating that the congestion status of a UE is uncongested: the network area is a congested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE has moved out of the congested area; the network area is an uncongested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE is located in the network area. The problem that it is not possible for the PCRF to know the true congestion status etc. of the area in which the UE is located is solved, enabling the PCRF to know the true status of the PCRF.

Description

Access network congestion status reporting, congestion information update processing method and device Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a method and an apparatus for updating and reporting congestion status of an access network.

Background technique

1 is a schematic diagram of a Policy and Charging Control (PCC) defined by a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in the related art, as shown in FIG. The Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) is the core of the entire PCC architecture. The PCRF needs to combine the service information received from the Application Function (AF), the user subscription information received from the Subscription Profile Repository (SPR), and the policy configured by the operator. The PCRF sends the control policy for the service to the Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) or the Bearer Binding and Event Report Function (BBERF). At the same time, the PCRF can subscribe to the bearer layer related events to the PCEF and/or the BBERF to sense in time when the bearer layer occurs, and change the control strategy. PCEF can also support application detection control functions. The PCEF can perform application detection and perform policy enforcement (such as gating, redirection, and bandwidth limitation) according to the local configuration or the PCC rule that is sent by the PCRF and includes the application identifier. The PCEF is generally located on the gateway of the network, such as the Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) of the Evolved Packet System (EPS). In addition, the network can implement application detection control by deploying a separate traffic detection function (Traffic Detection Function, TDF for short). The TDF and the PCRF are connected through the Sd interface. The TDF can perform application detection and policy execution according to the application detection and control (ADC) rules that are pre-configured or sent by the PCRF.

The principle of the PCC architecture implementing policy control on the services carried on the bearer network is as follows: With the development of the network and the terminal devices, a large number of users access the Internet through the intelligent terminals to access various data services. On the one hand, the data services on the network continue to be continuously The richness of, for example, various video services, game services, etc., on the other hand, the use of smart terminals for Internet users is still exploding. This has brought shocks and challenges to operators' network operations. A large number of data services increase network load and even cause network congestion (for example, in hotspots such as stations and terminals). A large number of data services even encroach on the resources of voice services, making traditional voice services unreliable QoS guarantee. Therefore, how to adjust network traffic, reduce network load, and reduce network congestion are issues that operators need to face.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a PCRF sensing wireless network access load information in the related art. The Radio Access Network Congestion Awareness Function (RCAF) reports the RAN User Plane Congestion Information (RUCI) to the PCRF for PCRF through the Np interface. Make decisions to reduce network load. The RCAF collects user plane congestion information from the RAN Operation Administration Maintenance (OAM) system. For the Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), the RCAF obtains the Evolved NodeB (eNB)/Evolved Cell Global Identity from the MME through the Nq interface ( A list of UEs (IMSIs) for each Activated Access Point Name (APN) under the Evolved Cell Global Identifier (ECGI). For UTRAN access, the RCAF can directly obtain an International Mobie Subscriber Identity (IMSI) list under a specific NB/CGI from the RAN, and obtain an IMSI list for each activated APN through Nq'. In this way, the RCAF can obtain an IMSI list for each active APN under each congested base station (eNB/NB)/cell (ECGI/CGI). The RCAF reports this information to the correct PCRF, and the PCRF can adjust these UE policies to reduce the load on the congested base station or cell.

Usually, one or more RCAFs exist in one network, and no RCAF is responsible for managing one network area (for example, each RCAF corresponds to a cell list or a list of base stations). Thus, there is a management range in which the UE moves from one RCAF management range to another RCAF when the movement occurs. In the scenario below, the existing escalation mechanism will have an error.

If the UE moves from the congested cell (Cell X, RCAF A is responsible for management) to the congested cell (Cell Y, RCAF B is responsible for management). Since Cell Y is congested, RCAF B reports congestion information to the PCRF. However, RCAF A does not have a UE in the received IMSI list under Cell X, so RCAF A will inform the PCRF that the state of the UE is not congested at this time. Thus the PCRF will erroneously assume that the UE is in a non-congested cell.

If the UE moves from a congested cell (Cell X, RCAF A is responsible for management) to another congested cell (Cell Y, RCAF B is responsible for management), it returns to the congested cell Cell X. Since Cell Y is congested, RCAF B reports congestion information to the PCRF. When the UE returns to Cell X, the RCAF does not notify the PCRF because the congestion status of Cell X has not changed. Therefore the PCRF will assume that the UE is still under Cell Y. Thereafter, if PCAF B detects that the UE is not in cell Y, then RCAF B notifies the PCRF that the UE is in a non-congested state. In this way, the PCRF will consider the UE to be in a non-congested cell.

In view of the problems in the prior art, no effective solution has been proposed yet.

Summary of the invention

The main purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for updating the congestion status of the access network and the congestion information, so as to solve the problem that the PCRF cannot know the true congestion state of the area where the UE is located in the related art.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for reporting a congestion state of an access network of a UE is provided, including: a RCAF entity acquiring a network area that it manages; in one of the following cases, the RCAF entity is directed to The PCRF entity reports the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested: the network area is a congestion area, and the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the a congested area; the network area is a non-congested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE is in the network area.

In this embodiment, the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area by: the RCAF entity acquires a user identifier list under the network area that it manages, where the network acquired by the RCAF entity The area is a congested area; the RCAF entity local save record indicates that the UE is located in a congested area, and when the user identifier of the UE does not exist in the user identifier list, determining that the UE moves out of the congested area.

In this embodiment, after the RCAF entity reports the RUCI to the PCRF entity, the method further includes: determining, by the PCRF entity, whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity. Whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

In this embodiment, the PCRF entity determines, according to whether the congestion information of the UE in the local storage record is from the same RCAF entity, whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record, including: The congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity as the RUCI, and the PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the RUCI; and/or, if If the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from a different RCAF entity and the PCRF receives the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information, the PCRF entity does not update the local save record. The congestion information of the UE.

In this embodiment, the RUCI carries the first timestamp information that generates the RUCI.

In this embodiment, after the RCAF entity reports the RUCI to the PCRF entity, the method includes: if the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the PCRF local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and When the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity, the PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the RUCI; and/or, If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is different from the RCAF of the RUCI And the PCRF receives the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information, and the PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for updating UE congestion information is provided, including: a PCRF entity receiving a radio access network user plane congestion information RUCI from a radio access network congestion sensing function RCAF entity, where The congestion status indication information is carried in the RUCI, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested; the PCRF entity according to the congestion status indication information, and the local storage record in the UE Whether the congestion information and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity determine whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

In this embodiment, the PCRF entity determines, according to the congestion status indication information, whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity, whether to update the congestion of the UE in the local save record. The information includes: if the congestion information of the UE in the local save record of the PCRF entity is from the same RCAF entity, the PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the congestion status indication information. .

In this embodiment, the PCRF entity determines, according to the congestion status indication information, whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity, whether to update the congestion of the UE in the local save record. The information includes: if the congestion information of the UE in the PCRF local save record is from a different RCAF entity, and the state indicated by the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is congestion, the RUCI carries the location When the congestion status indication information is described, the PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

In this embodiment, the RUCI further carries a first timestamp that the RCAF entity generates the RUCI.

In this embodiment, the PCRF entity determines, according to the congestion status indication information, whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity, whether to update the congestion of the UE in the local save record. The information includes: if the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the PCRF local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the RUCI The same RCAF entity, the PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the RUCI; and/or if the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record Earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record If the RUCI is from a different RCAF entity and the PCRF receives the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information, the PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a device for reporting congestion status of an access network of a UE is provided, which is applied to an RCAF entity, and includes: an acquiring module, configured to acquire a network area managed by the RCAF entity; and a reporting module, configured to In one of the following cases, the RCAF entity reports the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information to the policy and charging rule function PCRF entity, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested. The network area is a congested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congested area; the network area is an uncongested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE is in the network area.

In this embodiment, the reporting module is configured to report the RUCI when the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area in the following manner: the RCAF entity obtains the user identifier in the network area that it manages a list, wherein the network area acquired by the RCAF entity is a congestion area; the RCAF entity local save record indicates that the UE is located in a congestion area, and when the user identifier of the UE does not exist in the user identifier list, Then determining that the UE moves out of the congestion area.

In this embodiment, the reporting module is further configured to report the RUCI carrying a timestamp for generating the RUCI.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for updating UE congestion information is provided, which is applied to a PCRF entity, and includes: a receiving module, configured to receive a radio access network user from a radio access network congestion sensing function RCAF entity a congestion information SUCI, where the RUCI carries congestion status indication information, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested; and the determining module is configured to indicate according to the congestion status The information, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and whether the RUCI is from the same RCAF entity, determines whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

In this embodiment, the determining module is configured to: when the congestion information of the UE in the local save record of the PCRF entity is from the same RCAF entity, determine that the local save record is updated according to the congestion status indication information. The congestion information of the UE.

In this embodiment, the determining module is configured to: in the PCRF local save record, the congestion information of the UE and the RUCI are from different RCAF entities, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record indicates When the status is congestion and the RUCI carries the congestion status indication information, it is determined that the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is not updated.

In this embodiment, the receiving module is configured to receive the RUCI carrying the following information: the RCAF generates a first timestamp of the RUCI.

In this embodiment, the determining module is configured to: in the local save record, the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE is earlier than the first timestamp, and the local save record is The congestion information of the UE and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity, determining to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the RUCI; and/or, if the UE is in the local save record The second timestamp of the congestion information is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from a different RCAF entity and the PCRF is received by the PCRF. The congestion status indication information RUCI determines that the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is not updated.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the RCAF entity reports the radio access network user plane congestion information RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information to the policy and charging rule function PCRF entity, where the congestion occurs. The status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested: the network area is a congestion area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area; the network area is an uncongested area and the RCAF entity determines The technical means of the UE in the network area solves the problem that the PCRF cannot know the true congestion state of the area where the UE is located, so that the PCRF can know the true state of the PCRF.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are intended to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are intended to be a part of the invention. In the drawing:

1 is a schematic diagram of a PCC of a policy and charging control architecture defined by the 3GPP Partnership Project 3GPP in the related art;

2 is a structural diagram of a PCRF sensing a wireless access network load information in the related art;

3 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion status of an access network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for reporting congestion status of an access network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for updating congestion information according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 6 is a structural block diagram of an update processing apparatus for congestion information according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

7 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

8 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

9 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

10 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

11 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention.

detailed description

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings in conjunction with the embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion status of an access network according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the method includes:

Step S302, the RCAF entity acquires the network area it manages;

Step S304, in the following case, the RCAF entity reports the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information to the PCRF entity, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested: (1) the network The area is a congested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area; (2) the network area is an uncongested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE is in the network area.

Through the foregoing various processing steps, the PCRF entity can obtain the true congestion state (congestion or non-congestion) of the network area where the UE is located.

In a preferred embodiment, the UE may be removed from the congestion area by the RCAF entity acquiring the user identifier list in the network area managed by the RCAF entity, where the network area acquired by the RCAF entity is a congestion area; the RCAF entity The local save record indicates that the UE is located in the congestion area, and when the user identifier of the UE does not exist in the user identifier list, it is determined that the UE moves out of the congestion area.

After the RCAF entity reports the foregoing RUCI to the PCRF entity, the PCRF may perform the following process: the PCRF entity determines whether to update the foregoing local save record according to whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity. UE congestion information. In an excellent In the implementation process, the foregoing process may be implemented in the following implementation manner, but is not limited thereto: if the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity as the RUCI, the PCRF entity updates the local area according to the RUCI. Saving the congestion information of the UE in the record; if the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is different from the RCAF entity and the PCRF receives the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information, the PCRF entity does not update the local The congestion information of the above UE in the record is saved.

In a preferred embodiment, the foregoing RUCI carries the first timestamp information for generating the RUCI. At this time, after the RCAF entity reports the foregoing RUCI to the PCRF entity:

If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity as the RUCI, the PCRF entity is configured according to the foregoing The RUCI updates the congestion information of the UE in the above local save record; and/or,

If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is different from the RCAF entity and the PCRF is received If there is an RUCI of the congestion status indication information, the PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

In this embodiment, a device for reporting congestion status of the access network of the UE is further applied to the RCAF entity. As shown in FIG. 4, the device includes:

The obtaining module 40 is configured to acquire a network area managed by the RCAF entity;

The reporting module 42 is configured to report the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information to the policy and charging rule function PCRF entity, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested. The network area is a congestion area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area; the network area is a non-congested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE is in the network area.

The reporting module 42 is configured to report the RUCI when the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area in the following manner: the RCAF entity obtains the user identifier list in the network area managed by the RCAF entity, where the network area acquired by the RCAF entity And the RCAF entity local storage record indicates that the UE is located in the congestion area, and if the user identifier of the UE does not exist in the user identifier list, determining that the UE moves out of the congestion area.

Optionally, in a preferred embodiment of the embodiment, the reporting module 42 is configured to report the foregoing RUCI carrying a timestamp for generating the foregoing RUCI.

In this embodiment, an update processing method for UE congestion information is also provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the method includes:

In step S502, the PCRF entity receives the RUCI from the RCAF entity, where the RUCI carries the congestion status indication information, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested;

Step S504: The PCRF entity determines whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the congestion state indication information, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and whether the RUCI is from the same RCAF entity.

In a preferred embodiment, step S504 can be specifically implemented in the following manner, but is not limited thereto:

(1) If the congestion information of the UE in the local save record of the PCRF entity is from the same RCAF entity, the PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the congestion state indication information;

(2) If the congestion information of the UE in the PCRF local save record is different from the RCAF entity, and the state indicated by the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is congestion and the RUCI carries the congestion status indication information, The PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

The foregoing RUCI further carries the first timestamp of the foregoing RCAF entity to generate the foregoing RUCI. At this time, step S504 may be expressed as the following implementation form, but is not limited thereto:

If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity, the PCRF entity is configured according to the The foregoing RUCI updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record; and/or,

If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from different RCAF entities, and the PCRF is received and carried In the RUCI of the congestion status indication information, the PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.

In this embodiment, an update processing apparatus for UE congestion information is further provided, which is applied to a PCRF entity. As shown in FIG. 6, the apparatus includes:

The receiving module 60 is configured to receive the radio access network user plane congestion information RUCI from the radio access network congestion sensing function RCAF entity, where the RUCI carries congestion status indication information, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate The congestion status of the UE is not congested;

The determining module 62 is configured to determine whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the congestion status indication information, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and whether the RUCI is from the same RCAF entity.

In this embodiment, the determining module 62 is configured to: when the congestion information of the UE is stored in the PCRF entity local storage record, and the RUCI is from the same RCAF entity, determine that the congestion of the UE in the local save record is updated according to the congestion state indication information. information.

In this embodiment, the determining module 62 is configured to: in the PCRF local save record, the congestion information of the UE is different from the RCAF entity, and the state indicated by the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is congestion. When the RUCI carries the congestion status indication information, it is determined that the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is not updated.

In this embodiment, the receiving module 60 is configured to receive the foregoing RUCI carrying the following information: the RCAF generates the first timestamp of the RUCI.

In this embodiment, the determining module 62 is configured to: in the local save record, the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is The foregoing RUCI is from the same RCAF entity, and determines to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the foregoing RUCI; and/or,

If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is different from the RCAF entity and the PCRF is received If the congestion status indication information RUCI is present, it is determined that the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is not updated.

In order to better understand the above embodiments, the following detailed description will be given in conjunction with the preferred embodiments.

The main design ideas of the following embodiments are:

RCAF reporting angle:

The RCAF receives the congestion status information from the RAN OAM. If the area where the UE is located in the last reporting still remains in the congestion state, and the RCAF determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area, the RCAF indicates that the UE status is not congested in the RUCI; after the PCRF receives the RUCI Make the following judgment:

1) If the RCAF reported by the PCRF saves congestion and the newly reported RCAF are from the same RCAF, and the state saved by the PCRF is congestion and the status in the newly reported RUCI is not congested, the PCRF updates the status of the UE to non-congested according to the RUCI. ;

2) If the RCAF reported by the PCRF saves the congestion and the newly reported RCAF are from different RCAFs, and the state saved by the PCRF is congestion and the state in the newly reported RUCI is not congested, the PCRF does not update.

The RCAF receives the congestion status information from the RAN OAM. If the area where the UE is located in the previous report is changed from congestion to non-congestion, and the RCAF determines that the UE is still in the area, the RCAF indicates that the UE status is not congested in the RUCI; the PCRF is based on The RUCI sets the state of the UE to be non-congested.

The RCAF also carries the timestamp and the identity of the RCAF itself in the RUCI. The PCRF determines which is the latest RUCI based on the timestamp. Based on the above judgment, the new RUCI can overwrite the old RUCI.

PCRF receiving angle;

The PCRF receives the RUCI report of the RCAF;

If the RUCI is from the RCAF with the same congestion information stored by the PCRF, the PCRF updates the congestion information of the UE saved by the PCRF according to the newly reported RUCI.

If the RUCI is from an RCAF with different congestion information stored by the PCRF, the PCRF is updated according to the following principles:

If the state saved in the PCRF is congested and the status in the newly reported RUCI is not congested, the PCRF does not update;

If the state stored in the PCRF is not congested and the state in the newly reported RUCI is congestion, the PCRF is updated to be congested.

The PCRF needs to determine which RUCI is up to date based on the timestamp.

Example 1

The method for reporting network load information when the E-UTRAN is accessed in this embodiment. UE1 migrates from Cell X (not congested) to Cell Y (congested). FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the process includes the following steps:

701. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. Since Cell X is not in a congested state at this time, and it is assumed that RCAF1 was last received from the OAM information, Cell X is not in a congested state, so Cell X is not included in the affected area.

702. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 701, and subscribes to the related MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI).

703. RCAF1 generates RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This does not include IMSI1. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry a time stamp (Timestamp1) and an RCAF identifier (RCAF Id1).

704. RCAF1 reports the RCUI to the PCRF;

705. The PCRF makes policy decisions based on the RUCI. If IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, PCRF1 will not receive UE1 related congestion information reported by RCAF1. It is assumed that IMSI1 has no congestion information in the PCRF1 information, so PCRF1 considers IMSI1 to be in a non-congested state.

706. RCAF2 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM, including Cell Y in a congested state (ECGI Id2).

707. The RCAF2 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 706, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell Y (ECGI Id2).

708. The RCAF2 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1. In addition, RCAF2 can also carry the time stamp (Timestamp2) and the RCAF2 identifier (RCAF Id2).

Table 3-1

709. RCAF1 reports the RUCI to the PCRF;

7010. Since IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, PCRF1 will receive congestion information about IMIS1. Since the previous IMSI1 has no congestion information in the context on the PCRF1, the PCRF1 updates the context of the IMSI1 according to the reported congestion information. PCRF1 formulates corresponding policies based on congestion information. The context of congestion related to IMSI1 saved on PCRF1 at this time is as follows

Table 3-2

Example 2

The method for reporting network load information when the E-UTRAN is accessed in this embodiment. UE1 migrates from Cell X (congestion) to Cell Y (congestion). FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the process includes the following steps:

801. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. Since Cell X is in a congested state at this time, the affected area includes the congestion area Cell X (ECGI Id1).

The 802.RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 801, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell X.

803. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp (Timestamp1) and the identity of RCAF1.

804. RCAF1 reports the RCUI to the PCRF;

Table 4-1

805. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. If IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, it is assumed that IMSI1 has no congestion information in the context of PCRF1, so PCRF1 updates the context of IMSI1 according to the reported congestion information. PCRF1 formulates corresponding policies based on congestion information. The context of congestion related to IMSI1 saved on PCRF1 at this time is as follows

Table 4-2

806. RCAF2 obtains congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM, including Cell Y being in a congested state.

807. The RCAF2 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 806, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides RCAF2 with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell Y.

808. RCAF2 generates RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1.

Table 4-3

809. RCAF2 reports the RUCI to the PCRF.

810. Since IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, PCRF1 will receive congestion information about IMSI1 provided by RCAF2. PCR1F judges that UE1 has moved to a new RCAF according to RCAF Id2 (the original saved congestion information is reported by RCAF1). Then, the PCRF1 updates the context that the PCRF1 holds for the UE1 according to the information reported by the RCAF2. As shown in the table below. PCRF1 can formulate a congestion mitigation strategy based on new congestion information. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp1 is earlier than Timestamp2, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic.

Table 4-4

811. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. And Cell X is in a congested state at this time, so the congested area includes the ECGI (ECGI Id1) of Cell X.

812. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 811, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). Since UE1 has moved below Cell Y, the IMSI1 of UE1 is not included in the user list under Cell X.

813. RCAF1 generates RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp (TimeStampe3) and the identity of RCAF1. RCAF1 does not include the IMSI according to the received IMSI list, so it is judged that UE1 has left Cell X. It is obvious that UE1 is also not in any affected cell that RCAF1 is responsible for managing. Therefore, RCAF1 determines that UE1 is not congested.

Table 4-5

814. RCAF1 reports the RUCI to the PCRF;

815. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. PCRF1 receives the reported RUCI. Since the reported RCAF stored in the context of the IMSI1 in the PCRF1 is RCAF2, and the state corresponding to the IMSI1 in the RUCI reported by the RCAF1 is not congested, the PCRF1 does not perform any update for the IMSI1. Therefore, PCRF1 considers UE1 still in a congested state. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp2 is earlier than Timestamp3, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic.

Example 3

The method for reporting network load information when the E-UTRAN is accessed in this embodiment. UE1 migrates from Cell X (congestion) to Cell Y (no congestion). FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the process includes the following steps:

901. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. Since Cell X is in a congested state at this time, the affected area includes the congestion area Cell X (ECGI Id1).

902. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 901, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell X.

903. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp (Timestamp1) and the identity of RCAF1.

904. RCAF1 reports the RCUI to the PCRF;

Table 5-1

905. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. If IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, it is assumed that IMSI1 has no congestion information in the context of PCRF1, so PCRF1 updates the context of IMSI1 according to the reported congestion information. PCRF1 formulates corresponding policies based on congestion information. The context of congestion related to IMSI1 saved on PCRF1 at this time is as follows

Table 5-2

906. The RCAF2 obtains the congestion-related OAM information and the affected area from the RAN OAM. Since the Cell Y is in an uncongested state, and the RCAF2 obtains the information in the last report, the Cell Y is also in an uncongested state, so the Cell is not included in the affected area. Y.

907. The RCAF2 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 906, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides RCAF2 with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI).

908. The RCAF2 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This does not include IMSI1.

909. RCAF2 reports the RUCI to the PCRF.

910. Since the IMSI1 is not included in the RUCI, the PCRF1 does not receive the IMCI1 related RUCI. PCRF1 also does not update for IMSI1.

911.RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. And Cell X is in a congested state at this time, so the congested area includes the ECGI (ECGI Id1) of Cell X.

912. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 911, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). Since UE1 has moved below Cell Y, the IMSI1 of UE1 is not included in the user list under Cell X.

913. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp (Timestampe 3) and the identity of RCAF1. RCAF1 judges that UE1 has left Cell X based on the received IMSI list. It is obvious that UE1 is also not in any affected cell that RCAF1 is responsible for managing. Therefore, RCAF1 disables the congestion state of UE1.

Table 5-3

914. RCAF1 reports the RUCI to the PCRF;

915. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. PCRF1 receives the reported RUCI. Since the reported RCAF saved in the context of IMSI1 in PCRF1 is RCAF1, the new RUCI report is also from RCAF1, and the state corresponding to IMSI1 in the new RUCI reported in RCAF1 is not congested. Therefore, PCRF1 updates the IMSI1 according to the newly reported RUCI. At this time, the context of the IMSI1 related congestion saved on the PCRF1 is as follows. The PCRF can consider that the UE1 is currently in a non-congested state according to the network policy, and can adopt a corresponding policy. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp1 is earlier than Timestamp3, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic.

Table 5-4

Example 4

The method for reporting network load information when the E-UTRAN is accessed in this embodiment. UE1 migrates from Cell X (Congestion) to Cell Y (Congestion) and then to Cell X (Congestion). FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, the process includes the following steps:

1001. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. Since Cell X is in a congested state at this time, the congestion area includes EC X (ECGI Id1) of Cell X.

1002. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1001, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell X.

1003. RCAF1 generates RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp and the identity of RCAF1.

1004. RCAF1 reports the RCUI to the PCRF;

Table 6-1

1005. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. If IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, it is assumed that IMSI1 has no congestion information in the context of PCRF1, so PCRF1 updates the context of IMSI1 according to the reported congestion information. PCRF1 formulates corresponding policies based on congestion information. The context of congestion associated with IMSI1 saved on PCRF1 at this time is as follows.

Table 6-2

1006. RCAF2 obtains congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM, including Cell Y in a congested state.

1007. The RCAF2 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1006, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides RCAF2 with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell Y.

1008. RCAF2 generates RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1.

Table 6-3

1009. RCAF2 reports the RUCI to the PCRF.

1010. Since IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, PCRF1 will receive congestion information about IMSI1 provided by RCAF2. PCRF1 judges that UE1 has moved to a new RCAF according to RCAF Id2 according to the RUCI reported by RCAF2. Then, the PCRF1 updates the context that the PCRF1 holds for the UE1 according to the information reported by the RCAF2. As shown in the table below. PCRF1 can formulate a congestion mitigation strategy based on new congestion information. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp1 is earlier than Timestamp2, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic.

Table 6-4

1011. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. And Cell X is in a congested state at this time, so the congested area includes the ECGI (ECGI Id1) of Cell X.

1012. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1011, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). If UE1 moves back to Cell X at this time, the user list in Cell X still includes IMSI1 of UE1. (Because other UEs may have moved out of Cell X, some UEs may not be included in the user list. IMSI)

1013. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp (Timestamp3) and the identity of RCAF1.

Table 6-5

1014. RCAF1 reports the RUCI to the PCRF;

1015. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. PCRF1 receives the reported RUCI. Since the reported RCAF stored in the upper and lower sides of the IMSI1 in the PCRF1 is RCAF2, the PCR1F judges that the UE1 has moved to the new RCAF based on the RCAF Id1. Then, the PCRF1 updates the context that the PCRF1 holds for the UE1 according to the information reported by the RCAF1. As shown in the table below. PCRF1 can formulate a congestion mitigation strategy based on new congestion information. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp2 is earlier than Timestamp3, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic.

Table 6-6

1016. RCAF2 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. And Cell Y is in a congested state at this time, so the congestion area includes ECY (ECGI Id2) of Cell Y.

1017. The RCAF2 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1016, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). Since UE1 has moved below Cell X, the IMSI1 of UE1 is not included in the user list under Cell Y.

1018. The RCAF2 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. In addition, RCAF2 can also carry the time stamp (Timestamp 4) and the RCAF2 logo. The RCAF 2 judges that the UE 1 has left the Cell Y based on the received IMSI list. It is obvious that UE1 is also not in any affected cell that RCAF2 is responsible for managing. Therefore, RCAF2 sets the congestion state of UE1 to be non-congested.

Table 6-7

1019. RCAF2 reports the RUCI to the PCRF;

1020. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. PCRF1 receives the reported RUCI. Since the reported RCAF stored in the upper and lower sides of the IMSI1 in the PCRF1 is RCAF1, and the new RUCI is from the RCAF2, and the state corresponding to the IMSI1 in the RUCI reported by the RCAF2 is not congested, the PCRF1 does not perform any update for the IMSI1. Therefore, PCRF1 considers UE1 still in a congested state. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp3 is earlier than Timestamp4, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic.

Example 5

The method for reporting network load information when the E-UTRAN is accessed in this embodiment. UE1 migrates from Cell X (congestion) to Cell Y (non-congested) and then migrates to Cell X (congestion). 11 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the process includes the following steps:

1101. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. Since Cell X is in a congested state at this time, the congestion area includes EC X (ECGI Id1) of Cell X.

1102. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1101, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell X.

1103. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp and the identity of RCAF1.

1104. RCAF1 reports RCUI to PCRF;

Table 7-1

1105. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. If IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, it is assumed that IMSI1 has no congestion information in the context of PCRF1, so PCRF1 updates the context of IMSI1 according to the reported congestion information. PCRF1 formulates corresponding policies based on congestion information. The context of congestion related to IMSI1 saved on PCRF1 at this time is as follows

Table 7-2

1106. The RCAF2 obtains the congestion-related OAM information and the affected area from the RAN OAM. Since the Cell Y is in a non-congested state, it is assumed that the information obtained by the RCAF2 from the OAM is not in the congestion state, so the affected area does not. Including Cell Y

1107. The RCAF2 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1106, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides RCAF2 with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI).

1108. The RCAF2 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This does not include IMSI1.

1109. RCAF2 reports the RUCI to the PCRF.

1110. Since the IMCI1 is not included in the RUCI, the PCRF1 will not receive the IMCI1 related RUCI. PCRF1 also does not update for IMSI1.

(If RCAF2 does not receive any report of the affected area in step 1106, step 1107 - step 1110 does not execute)

1111. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. And Cell X is in a congested state at this time, so the congested area includes the ECGI (ECGI Id1) of Cell X.

1112. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1111, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). If UE1 moves back to Cell X at this time, the user list in Cell X still includes IMSI1 of UE1. (Because other UEs may have moved out of Cell X, some UEs may not be included in the user list. IMSI)

1113. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp and the identity of RCAF1.

Table 7-3

1114. RCAF1 reports the RUCI to the PCRF;

1115. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. PCRF1 receives the reported RUCI. Since the reported RCAF stored in the upper and lower sides of the IMSI1 in the PCRF1 is RCAF2, the PCR1F judges that the UE1 has moved to the new RCAF based on the RCAF id1. Then, the PCRF1 updates the context that the PCRF1 holds for the UE1 according to the information reported by the RCAF1. As shown in the table below. PCRF1 can formulate a congestion mitigation strategy based on new congestion information. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp1 is earlier than Timestamp3, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic.

Table 7-4

1116. RCAF2 obtains congestion-related OAM information and affected area from RAN OAM. Since Cell Y is in a non-congested state, Cell Y is not included in the affected area.

1117. The RCAF2 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1106, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides RCAF2 with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI).

1118. RCAF2 generates RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This does not include IMSI1.

1119. RCAF2 reports the RUCI to the PCRF.

1120. Since the IMSI1 is not included in the RUCI, the PCRF1 does not receive the IMCI1 related RUCI. PCRF1 also does not update for IMSI1.

Example 6

The method for reporting network load information when the E-UTRAN is accessed in this embodiment. During UE1's camping from Cell X, Cell X is congested to not congested. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the process includes the following steps:

1201. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. Since Cell X is in a congested state at this time, the congestion area includes EC X (ECGI Id1) of Cell X.

1202. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1201, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell X.

1203. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp (Timestamp1) and the identity of RCAF1.

1204. RCAF1 reports RCUI to PCRF;

Table 8-1

1205. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. If IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, it is assumed that IMSI1 has no congestion information in the context of PCRF1, so PCRF1 updates the context of IMSI1 according to the reported congestion information. PCRF1 formulates corresponding policies based on congestion information. The context of congestion related to IMSI1 saved on PCRF1 at this time is as follows

Table 8-2

1206. The RCAF1 obtains the congestion-related OAM information and the affected area from the RAN OAM. At this time, the Cell X has a congestion state to a non-congested state, so the affected area includes the congestion area Cell X.

1207. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1206, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides RCAF1 with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell X.

1208. The RCAF2 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1.

Table 8-3

1209. RCAF1 reports the RUCI to the PCRF.

1210. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. PCRF1 receives the reported RUCI. Since the reported RCAF stored in the upper and lower sides of the IMSI1 in the PCRF1 is RCAF1, the PCRF1 judges that the UE1 is still in the RCAF1 according to the RCAF id1, but has changed from the congestion state to the uncongested state. Then, the PCRF1 updates the context that the PCRF1 holds for the UE1 according to the information reported by the RCAF1. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp1 is earlier than Timestamp2, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic. As shown in the table below. PCRF1 can formulate a congestion mitigation strategy based on new congestion information.

Table 8-4

Example 7

The method for reporting network load information when the E-UTRAN is accessed in this embodiment. During UE1's camping from Cell X, Cell X never congests to congestion. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for reporting congestion information of an access network of a UE according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, the process includes the following steps:

1301. RCAF1 acquires congestion-related OAM information and affected areas from RAN OAM. Since Cell X is not in a congested state at this time, Cell X's ECGI (ECGI Id1) is not included in the congestion area.

1302. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1301, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides the RCAF with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be a base station (identified by an eNB ID) or a cell (identified by an ECGI).

1303. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This does not include IMSI1. In addition, RCAF1 can also carry the time stamp (Timestamp1) and the identity of RCAF1.

1304. RCAF1 reports RCUI to PCRF;

1305: PCRF1 makes policy decisions according to RUCI. If IMSI1 is managed by PCRF1, PCRF1 will not receive congestion information about UE1. It is assumed that IMSI1 has no congestion information in the context of PCRF1, so PCRF1 updates the context of IMSI1 according to the reported congestion information.

1306. The RCAF1 obtains the congestion-related OAM information and the affected area from the RAN OAM. At this time, the Cell X is from the non-congested state to the congested state, so the affected area includes the congested Cell X.

1307. The RCAF1 determines the relevant MME according to the affected area received in step 1306, and subscribes to the relevant MME for the IMSI list of the affected area. Each MME provides RCAF1 with a list of UEs (ie, IMSIs) of the affected area and corresponding activated APNs. The affected area (ie, the congestion area) may be the base station (using the eNB ID) Identification), or a cell (identified by ECGI). These include the IMSI (IMSI1) and the activated APN (APN1 and APN2) of UE1 under Cell X.

1308. The RCAF1 generates the RUCI according to the received information, the RAN congestion state of the congestion, and the IMSI list of the activated APN. This includes IMSI1.

Table 9-1

1309. RCAF1 reports the RUCI to the PCRF.

1310. PCRF1 makes policy decisions based on RUCI. PCRF1 receives the reported RUCI. Since the reported RCAF stored in the upper and lower sides of the IMSI1 in the PCRF1 is RCAF1, the PCRF1 judges that the UE1 is still in the RCAF1 according to the RCAF id1, but has changed from the non-congested state to the congestion state. Then, the PCRF1 updates the context that the PCRF1 holds for the UE1 according to the information reported by the RCAF1. In addition, PCRF1 can further consider the timestamp to determine which RUCI is for the latest congestion condition of UE1 to decide whether to update. Only when Timestamp1 is earlier than Timestamp2, PCRF1 executes the above judgment logic. As shown in the table below. PCRF1 can formulate a congestion mitigation strategy based on new congestion information.

Table 9-2

In the flow of the embodiment 1 to the embodiment 7, the affected area is a cell, and the method is similar for the affected area, that is, the information of the affected area in the RUCI is the base station identifier.

In the procedures of Embodiment 1 to Embodiment 7, the network selects one PCRF for each UE, and it is similar for the network to select one PCRF for each APN of each UE, that is, the RUCI for the same IMSI may need to be different. The APN is reported to a different PCRF.

For the scenario in which the UE accesses from the UTRAN, the SGSN can obtain the IMSI list of the affected area directly from the OAM. Therefore, the difference from the foregoing Embodiment 1 to Embodiment 7 is that the SGSN acquires the affected area from the OAM and the area is small. The list of IMSIs. The RCAF can construct the RUCI based on similar logic in the above embodiment and report it to the corresponding PCRF. The PCRF can also be constructed based on congestion information in the context of the user based on similar logic in the above embodiments.

In another embodiment, software is also provided for performing the technical solutions described in the above embodiments and preferred embodiments.

In another embodiment, a storage medium is further provided, wherein the software includes the above-mentioned software, including but not limited to: an optical disk, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an erasable memory, and the like.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various modules or steps of the present invention described above can be implemented by a general-purpose computing device that can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices. Alternatively, they may be implemented by program code executable by the computing device such that they may be stored in the storage device by the computing device and, in some cases, may be different from the order herein. The steps shown or described are performed, or they are separately fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or a plurality of modules or steps thereof are fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability

Based on the foregoing technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the RCAF entity reports, to the policy and charging rule function PCRF entity, the radio access network user plane congestion information RUCI, which carries the congestion status indication information, in the following scenario. The congestion status indication information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested: the network area is a congestion area, and the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area; the network area is an uncongested area and The RCAF entity determines the technical means that the UE is in the network area, and solves the problem that the PCRF cannot know the true congestion state of the area where the UE is located, so that the PCRF can know the true state of the PCRF.

Claims (19)

1. A method for reporting a congestion state of an access network of a user equipment UE, including:

   The wireless access network congestion sensing function RCAF entity acquires the network area it manages;

   In one of the following cases, the RCAF entity reports the radio access network user plane congestion information RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information to the policy and charging rule function PCRF entity, where the congestion status indication information is used to indicate the location The congestion status of the UE is not congested:

   The network area is a congested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congested area; the network area is an uncongested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE is in the network area.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area by:

   The RCAF entity obtains a list of user identifiers in the network area that it manages, where the network area acquired by the RCAF entity is a congestion area;

   And the RCAF entity local save record indicates that the UE is located in a congestion area, and when the user identifier of the UE does not exist in the user identifier list, determining that the UE moves out of the congestion area.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the RCAF entity reports the RUCI to the PCRF entity, the method further includes:

   And determining, by the PCRF entity, whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the PCRF entity determines whether to update the congestion of the UE in the local save record according to whether the congestion information of the UE in the RECI and the local save record is from the same RCAF entity. Information, including:

   If the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity, the PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the RUCI; and/or,

   If the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from a different RCAF entity and the PCRF receives the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information, the PCRF entity does not update the local save Record the congestion information of the UE in the record.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RUCI carries first timestamp information for generating the RUCI.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein after the RCAF entity reports the RUCI to the PCRF entity, the method includes:

   If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity as the RUCI, The PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the RUCI; and/or,

   If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is different from the RCAF of the RUCI And the PCRF receives the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information, and the PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.
7. An update processing method for user equipment UE congestion information includes:

   The policy and charging rule function PCRF entity receives the radio access network user plane congestion information RUCI from the radio access network congestion sensing function RCAF entity, where the RUCI carries congestion status indication information, wherein the congestion status indication The information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested;

   The PCRF entity determines whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the congestion status indication information, and whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the PCRF entity determines whether to update the local save record according to the congestion status indication information, and whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity. The congestion information of the UE includes:

   If the congestion information of the UE in the local save record of the PCRF entity is from the same RCAF entity, the PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the congestion status indication information.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the PCRF entity determines whether to update the local save record according to the congestion status indication information, and whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity. The congestion information of the UE includes:

   If the congestion information of the UE in the PCRF local save record is from a different RCAF entity, and the state indicated by the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is congestion, the RUCI carries the congestion status indication. Information, the PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the RUCI further carries a first timestamp of the RCAF entity to generate the RUCI.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the PCRF entity determines whether to update the local save record according to the congestion status indication information, and whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity. The congestion information of the UE includes:

    If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the PCRF local storage record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF entity as the RUCI And the PCRF entity updates the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the RUCI; and/or,

    If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from a different RCAF entity and the RUCI The PCRF receives the RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information, and the PCRF entity does not update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.
12. A congestion reporting device for the access network of the UE is applied to the RCAF entity of the congestion awareness function of the radio access network, including:

    Obtaining a module, configured to acquire a network area managed by the RCAF entity;

    The reporting module is configured to report the radio access network user plane congestion information RUCI carrying the congestion status indication information to the policy and charging rule function PCRF entity, where the congestion status indication is The information is used to indicate that the congestion status of the UE is not congested:

    The network area is a congested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congested area; the network area is an uncongested area and the RCAF entity determines that the UE is in the network area.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the reporting module is configured to report the RUCI when the RCAF entity determines that the UE moves out of the congestion area by:

    The RCAF entity obtains a list of user identifiers in the network area that it manages, where the network area acquired by the RCAF entity is a congestion area;

    And the RCAF entity local save record indicates that the UE is located in a congestion area, and when the user identifier of the UE does not exist in the user identifier list, determining that the UE moves out of the congestion area.
14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the reporting module is further configured to report the RUCI carrying a timestamp of generating the RUCI.
15. An apparatus for updating user equipment UE congestion information is applied to a policy and charging rule function PCRF entity, including:

    a receiving module, configured to receive a radio access network user plane congestion information RUCI from a radio access network congestion sensing function RCAF entity, where the RUCI carries congestion status indication information, where the congestion status indication information is used Indicating that the congestion status of the UE is not congested;

    The determining module is configured to determine whether to update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record according to the congestion status indication information, and whether the congestion information of the UE in the local save record and the RUCI are from the same RCAF entity.
16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the determining module is configured to determine, according to the congestion status indication information, when the congestion information of the UE in the PCRF entity local storage record is from the same RCAF entity as the RUCI Update the congestion information of the UE in the local save record.
17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the determining module is configured to: in the PCRF local save record, the congestion information of the UE is different from the RUCI from the RCAF entity, and the UE in the local save record When the state indicated by the congestion information is congestion and the RUCI carries the congestion status indication information, it is determined that the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is not updated.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the receiving module is configured to receive the RUCI carrying the following information: the RCAF generates a first timestamp of the RUCI.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said determining module is configured to:

    The second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is from the same RCAF as the RUCI Entity determining, according to the RUCI, updating congestion information of the UE in the local save record; and/or,

    If the second timestamp of the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is earlier than the first timestamp, and the congestion information of the UE and the RUCI are not in the local save record And the same RCAF entity and the PCRF receives the congestion status indication information RUCI, and determines that the congestion information of the UE in the local save record is not updated.

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