Satellite access charging method and device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a satellite access charging method and device, electronic equipment and a computer readable storage medium, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: in a session establishment process, a session management function selects a ground user plane function and an on-satellite user plane function for a user terminal; the session management function sends a charging quota request and a charging data request containing data such as satellite information, storage and forwarding instructions and actual quota management information to the charging function, and the charging function generates quota charging data according to the charging quota request, generates actual charging data according to the charging data request and sends the actual charging data to the session management function; according to the embodiment of the invention, based on the storage and forwarding functions of the satellite user plane data, the charging of the user traffic use condition is completed, so that the time delay tolerant data service charging of massive Internet of Things equipment in the space-air-ground discontinuous feeder scene is realized.

Description

Background Art

[0002] The current 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standard only considers the scenario where satellites are used as 5G NR (New Radio) access or backhaul links. The satellite may lose connection with the ground gateway for some reason. At this time, some mobile network services will be interrupted along with the connection interruption. The delay-tolerant data service charging function in the air-ground discontinuous feeder scenario is not supported.

[0003] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to ordinary technicians in the field. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a satellite access billing method, device, electronic device and computer-readable storage medium, which at least to some extent overcome the problem that the related art does not support the delay-tolerant data service billing function in the air-to-ground discontinuous feeder scenario.

[0005] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by the practice of the present disclosure.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a billing method for satellite access is provided, which is applied to a session management function, including: when a satellite is connected to a ground gateway, sending a billing data request to a billing function so that the billing function generates actual billing data according to the billing data request; wherein the billing data request includes at least one of the following: satellite information, a store-and-forward indication, and actual quota management information; the actual quota management information is actual traffic usage data corresponding to the satellite and the ground gateway; and receiving the actual billing data sent by the billing function.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it also includes: when the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, sending a billing quota request to the billing function so that the billing function generates quota billing data according to the billing quota request; and receiving the quota billing data sent by the billing function.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it also includes: determining a ground user plane function and an on-satellite user plane function according to a session strategy, wherein the on-satellite user plane function is a user plane function that supports a store-and-forward function on the same satellite as the access base station; and sending a session establishment request to the ground user plane function and the on-satellite user plane function.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it also includes: when the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the on-board user plane function receives and stores uplink data packets according to the store-and-forward indication; when the storage duration corresponding to the on-board stored session data of the on-board user plane function exceeds the first storage data duration, the on-board user plane function deletes the on-board stored session data; when the on-board stored session data of the on-board user plane function exceeds the first storage data amount, the on-board user plane function discards the uplink data packet.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it also includes: when the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the ground user plane function receives and stores the downlink data packet according to the store-and-forward indication; when the storage duration corresponding to the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function exceeds the second storage data duration, the ground user plane function deletes the ground storage session data; when the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function exceeds the second storage data amount, the ground user plane function discards the downlink data packet.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it also includes: when the satellite and the ground gateway restore connection, the ground user plane function forwards the stored uplink data packet to the on-board user plane function; the on-board user plane function forwards the stored downlink data packet to the ground user plane function.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it also includes: during the session establishment process, the functional network element receives a storage and forwarding indication corresponding to the session; when the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is less than the session storage data duration, the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal are maintained; when the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is greater than or equal to the session storage data duration, the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal are released; the functional network element includes at least one of the following: a base station, an access and mobility management function and the session management function.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the actual quota management information includes at least one of the following: actual total amount of uplink traffic usage, actual total amount of downlink traffic usage parameters, and actual usage duration;

[0014] The actual billing data includes at least one of the following: satellite information, storage and forwarding instructions, and confirmed quota management information; the confirmed quota management information includes at least one of the following: confirmation of the actual total uplink traffic usage, confirmation of the actual total downlink traffic usage parameters, confirmation of the actual usage time, and billing results.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the billing quota request includes at least one of the following: satellite information, store-and-forward indication, and request quota management information;

[0016] The requested quota management information includes at least one of the following: a requested total amount of uplink traffic usage, a requested total amount of downlink traffic usage parameters, and a requested usage duration.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the quota billing data includes at least one of the following: result indication, satellite information, store-and-forward indication, guaranteed quota management information;

[0018] The guaranteed quota management information includes at least one of the following: guaranteed total uplink traffic usage, guaranteed total downlink traffic usage, and guaranteed usage duration.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the session establishment request includes at least one of the following: session identifier, N9 core network tunnel information, storage and forwarding indication, uplink and downlink identifiers, maximum storage data duration, and maximum storage data volume; the maximum storage data duration includes: a first storage data duration and a second storage data duration; the maximum storage data volume includes: a first storage data volume and a second storage data volume.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a satellite access billing method is also provided, which is applied to a billing function, and includes: receiving a billing data request sent by a session management function; confirming the billing data request according to a billing policy to generate actual billing data; and sending the actual billing data to the session management function.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it also includes: when the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, receiving a billing quota request sent by the session management function; generating quota billing data according to the billing quota request; and sending the quota billing data to the session management function.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it also includes: when the billing data request is a usage report request for updating billing, the billing function updates the corresponding call record according to the billing data request; when the billing data request is a usage report request for closing billing, the billing function closes the corresponding call record according to the billing data request.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: when the charging quota request does not satisfy the charging policy, modifying the charging quota request according to the charging policy.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a satellite access charging device, comprising:

[0025] a request sending module, which sends a billing data request to a billing function when the satellite is connected to a ground gateway, so that the billing function generates actual billing data according to the billing data request; wherein the billing data request includes at least one of the following: satellite information, a store-and-forward indication, and actual quota management information; the actual quota management information is actual traffic usage data corresponding to the satellite and the ground gateway;

[0026] A data receiving module receives the actual billing data sent by the billing function.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a satellite access charging device, comprising:

[0028] A request receiving module, receiving a billing data request sent by a session management function;

[0029] A data generation module, which confirms the billing data request and generates actual billing data according to the billing policy;

[0030] The billing sending module sends the actual billing data to the session management function.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute any one of the above-mentioned satellite access charging methods by executing the executable instructions.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the satellite access charging method described in any one of the above is implemented.

[0033] The satellite access billing method, device, electronic device and computer-readable storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, during the session establishment process, the session management function selects a ground user plane function and an on-board user plane function for the user terminal, when the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, the session management function sends a billing quota request and a billing data request containing satellite information, storage and forwarding instructions, actual quota management information and other data to the billing function, the actual quota management information is the actual traffic usage data corresponding to the satellite and the ground gateway, the billing function generates quota billing data according to the billing quota request, generates actual billing data according to the billing data request and sends it to the session management function, and completes the billing of user traffic usage based on the storage and forwarding function of the on-board user plane data, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground-space discontinuous feeder scenario.

[0034] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the specification are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without creative work.

[0036] Figure 1 A flowchart of a satellite access charging method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0037] Figure 2 A flow chart of a method for establishing a satellite access session in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0038] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method for storing user plane function data after a satellite is disconnected from a ground gateway in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Figure 4 A flow chart of a method for storing functional network data after a satellite is disconnected from a ground gateway in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Figure 5 A flowchart of another satellite access charging method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0041] Figure 6 A flow chart of another satellite access session establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0042] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a satellite access charging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0043] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another satellite access charging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0044] Fig. 9 A network schematic diagram showing data storage and forwarding billing accessed by a satellite 903 in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0045] Fig.10 A message flow chart showing a data storage and forwarding billing request and response for satellite access in an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0046] Fig.11 A structural block diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0048] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar parts, and their repeated description will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in software form, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0049] For ease of understanding, several terms involved in the present disclosure are explained below:

[0050] UPF (User plane function) packet routing and forwarding, policy implementation, traffic reporting, and QoS processing.

[0051] SMF (Session Management Function) is responsible for tunnel maintenance, IP address allocation and management, UP function selection, policy implementation and QoS control, billing data collection, roaming, etc.

[0052] PSA (PDU Session Anchor) is used to provide mobility during wireless access.

[0053] CHF (Charging Function) is responsible for user billing, quota credit, etc., and also supports integrated online and offline billing.

[0054] AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) performs registration, connection, reachability, and mobility management.

[0055] PDU (Protocol Data Unit) refers to the data unit transmitted between peer levels.

[0056] PCF (Policy Control function) provides policy rules for control plane functions.

[0057] The present exemplary implementation is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0058] First, a satellite access charging method is provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method can be executed by any electronic device with computing and processing capabilities.

[0059] Figure 1 A flowchart of a satellite access charging method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the satellite access charging method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to the session management function, and includes the following steps:

[0060] S102, when the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, a billing data request is sent to the billing function so that the billing function generates actual billing data according to the billing data request.

[0061] The billing data request is a usage report request to update or close the billing; wherein the billing data request includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: satellite information, store-and-forward indication, actual quota management information, call timestamp, call sequence number, etc.

[0062] Satellite information includes satellite identification, satellite location and other information; storage and forwarding instructions include storage and forwarding paths for billing data, session data and other data; actual quota management information includes actual traffic usage data corresponding to satellites and ground gateways.

[0063] In one embodiment, the actual quota management information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: actual total upstream traffic usage, actual total downstream traffic usage parameters, actual total downstream traffic usage parameters, actual usage duration, etc.

[0064] In one embodiment, after the billing function generates actual billing data according to the billing data request, it updates or closes the corresponding call record and returns the actual billing data to the session management function.

[0065] S104, receiving actual billing data sent by the billing function.

[0066] In one embodiment, the actual billing data is the confirmed actual usage data and the billing result calculated according to the actual data parameters, etc.; the actual billing data includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: satellite information, storage and forwarding instructions, confirmation quota management information, call timestamp, call sequence number, etc.

[0067] Confirm that the quota management information is the actual quota management information confirmed by the billing function; confirm that the quota management information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: confirm the actual total amount of uplink traffic usage, confirm the actual total amount of downlink traffic usage parameters, confirm the actual usage time, confirm the actual total amount of downlink traffic usage parameters, billing results, etc.

[0068] In one embodiment, when the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, the ground user plane function forwards the stored uplink data packets to the on-board user plane function; the on-board user plane function forwards the stored downlink data packets to the ground user plane function.

[0069] In one embodiment, within the maximum data storage time, when the satellite and the ground gateway restore the connection, the base station, functional network elements, etc. use the previous identifier to connect, the on-board user plane function sends the data packet of the PDU session to the data forwarding module, and the data forwarding module uses the original tunnel information to send it to the ground user plane function; the ground user plane function uses the original tunnel information to send it to the data forwarding module, and the data forwarding module sends the data packet of the PDU session to the on-board user plane function.

[0070] In one embodiment, the charging module in the session management function performs the above S102 to S104.

[0071] In the above embodiment, it supports sending the actual billing parameters of data storage and forwarding to the billing function, and triggers the above billing process when the corresponding session is created, modified, and released. Based on the user plane function on the satellite with data storage and forwarding function, the relevant billing process in the session process is enhanced to complete the billing of user traffic usage, that is, it supports the storage and forwarding of satellite information, uplink data volume, downlink data volume, duration and other billing dimensions at the terminal granularity or session granularity. Statistics are performed, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground non-continuous feeder scenario, and thus carrying out massive IoT services based on this feature.

[0072] Figure 2 A flow chart of a method for establishing a satellite access session in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the satellite access session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to the session management function, and includes the following steps:

[0073] S202, determining a ground user plane function and an on-satellite user plane function according to a session strategy, wherein the on-satellite user plane function is a user plane function supporting a store-and-forward function on the same satellite as the access base station.

[0074] In one embodiment, the session management function may receive a session policy sent by a network element such as a policy control function, and determine the ground user plane function and the onboard user plane function according to information such as a store-and-forward policy included in the session policy.

[0075] S204: Send a session establishment request to the ground user plane function and the onboard user plane function.

[0076] In one embodiment, the session management function sends a session establishment request to the ground user plane function and the onboard user plane function respectively; the session establishment request includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: session identifier, N9 core network tunnel information, store-and-forward indication, uplink and downlink identifier, maximum storage data duration, maximum storage data volume, etc.; the maximum storage data duration includes: a first storage data duration and a second storage data duration; wherein the first storage data duration is a duration corresponding to the session data stored by the onboard user plane function; the second storage data duration is a duration corresponding to the session data stored by the ground user plane function; the maximum storage data volume includes: a first storage data volume and a second storage data volume; the first storage data volume is a maximum data volume corresponding to the session data stored by the onboard user plane function; the second storage data volume is a maximum data volume corresponding to the session data stored by the ground user plane function.

[0077] In one embodiment, taking a 5G network as an example, the session establishment request may be an N4 session establishment request.

[0078] S206: When the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, a billing quota request is sent to the billing function so that the billing function generates quota billing data according to the billing quota request.

[0079] In one embodiment, the billing quota request is an initial quota request, and the billing quota request includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: satellite information, store-and-forward indication, request quota management information, call timestamp, call sequence number, etc.

[0080] The requested quota management information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: requested total uplink traffic usage, requested total downlink traffic usage parameters, requested usage duration, requested total uplink and downlink traffic usage, etc.

[0081] The total requested uplink traffic usage is the total uplink traffic usage requested for the indicated billing quota, the total requested downlink traffic usage is the total downlink traffic usage requested for the indicated billing quota, the requested usage duration is the usage duration requested for the indicated billing quota; the total requested uplink and downlink traffic usage is the sum of the total uplink and downlink traffic usage requested for the indicated billing quota.

[0082] In one embodiment, the billing function confirms the billing quota request according to the billing policy. When the billing quota request does not meet the billing policy, the billing quota request is modified according to the billing policy to ensure that the billing quota request meets the billing policy. For example, if the guaranteed usage time in the billing quota request is 2 minutes, and the usage time required by the billing policy of 1 minute is not met, the guaranteed usage time will be modified to 1 minute.

[0083] In one embodiment, the charging function may receive the charging policy sent by a network element such as a policy control function, and may also obtain the charging policy locally from the charging function, without limitation.

[0084] S208: Receive quota billing data sent by the billing function.

[0085] In one embodiment, the charging module in the session management function performs the above S202 to S208.

[0086] In one embodiment, the quota billing data includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: result indication, satellite information, store-and-forward indication, guaranteed quota management information, call timestamp, call sequence number, etc.; the result indication may be whether the billing quota request satisfies the billing policy, etc.

[0087] Among them, the guaranteed quota management information is to guarantee the approved billing quota request, and the guaranteed quota management information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: guaranteeing the total amount of uplink traffic usage, guaranteeing the total amount of downlink traffic usage, guaranteeing the usage time, guaranteeing the total amount of uplink and downlink traffic usage, etc.; among them, guaranteeing the total amount of uplink traffic usage is to indicate the guaranteed total amount of uplink traffic usage, guaranteeing the total amount of downlink traffic usage is to indicate the guaranteed total amount of downlink traffic usage, and guaranteeing the usage time is to indicate the guaranteed usage time.

[0088] In the above embodiment, it supports sending billing parameters of data storage and forwarding requests to the billing function, and triggers the above billing process when the corresponding session is created, modified, and released. It supports receiving approved billing parameters returned by the billing function and performing corresponding statistics accordingly, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground-space discontinuous feeder scenario.

[0089] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method for storing user plane function data after a satellite is disconnected from a ground gateway in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the method for storing user plane function data after the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following steps:

[0090] S302, when the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the onboard user plane function receives and stores uplink data packets according to the store-and-forward instruction.

[0091] In one embodiment, when the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the N9 tunnel will be disconnected, and the onboard user plane function can receive the store-and-forward instruction sent by the policy control function and other network elements, and receive and store the uplink data packet according to the store-and-forward instruction.

[0092] S304: When the storage duration corresponding to the on-board stored session data of the on-board user plane function exceeds the first storage data duration, the on-board user plane function deletes the stored on-board stored session data and releases the corresponding session resources.

[0093] S306: When the on-board storage session data of the on-board user plane function exceeds the first storage data amount, the on-board user plane function discards the uplink data packet.

[0094] S308, when the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the ground user plane function receives and stores the downlink data packet according to the store-and-forward instruction.

[0095] S310: When the storage duration corresponding to the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function exceeds the second storage data duration, the ground user plane function deletes the ground storage session data.

[0096] S312: When the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function exceeds the second storage data amount, the ground user plane function discards the downlink data packet.

[0097] It should be noted that the session management function does not charge for discarded downlink data packets.

[0098] In one embodiment, the first data storage duration, the second data storage duration, the first data storage volume, and the second data storage volume can be set manually or automatically according to user needs, historical data, etc.; the values ​​of the first data storage duration and the second data storage duration can be the same or different, and the values ​​of the first data storage volume and the second data storage volume can be the same or different, and there is no restriction on comparison.

[0099] In the above embodiment, during the session establishment process, the session management function selects a ground user plane function and an on-satellite user plane function for the user terminal, and processes the data according to the storage amount, storage time, etc. Based on the on-satellite user plane function with data storage and forwarding functions, the relevant billing process in the session process is enhanced, the billing of user traffic usage is completed, and the timeliness of the data is guaranteed.

[0100] Figure 4 FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of a method for storing functional network data after a satellite is disconnected from a ground gateway in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 As shown, the method for storing functional network data after the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following steps:

[0101] S402: When a session is established, the functional network element receives a store-and-forward instruction corresponding to the session.

[0102] In one embodiment, the functional network element includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: a base station, an access and mobility management function, and a session management function, etc.

[0103] S404: When the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is less than the session storage data duration, the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal are maintained.

[0104] S406: When the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is greater than or equal to the session storage data duration, the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal are released.

[0105] In one embodiment, when the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is greater than or equal to the amount of session storage data, the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal are released.

[0106] In one embodiment, the duration of session data storage and the amount of session data storage can be set according to user needs, etc.; the duration of session data storage is the maximum duration that session data can be stored, and the amount of session data storage is the maximum amount of data that can be stored.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the functional network element processes the data according to the storage amount, storage time, etc. to ensure the timeliness of the data.

[0108] Figure 5 A flowchart of another satellite access charging method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5 As shown, the satellite access charging method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to the charging function, and includes the following steps:

[0109] S502: Receive a charging data request sent by a session management function.

[0110] In one embodiment, the billing data request is a usage report request to update or close the billing; wherein the billing data request includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: satellite information, store-and-forward indication, actual quota management information, call timestamp, call sequence number, etc.

[0111] S504: Confirm the billing data request according to the billing policy to generate actual billing data.

[0112] In one embodiment, when the billing data request is a usage report request for updating billing, the billing function updates the corresponding call record according to the billing data request.

[0113] In one embodiment, when the billing data request is a usage reporting request for closing billing, the billing function closes the corresponding call record according to the billing data request.

[0114] S506: Send actual charging data to the session management function.

[0115] In one embodiment, the actual billing data is the confirmed actual usage data and the billing result calculated according to the actual data parameters, etc.; the actual billing data includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: satellite information, storage and forwarding instructions, confirmation quota management information, call timestamp, call sequence number, etc.

[0116] In the above embodiment, it supports receiving the actual billing parameters of the data storage and forwarding sent by the session management function, and updates or closes the corresponding call records after analyzing and calculating the parameters at the terminal granularity or session granularity, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground-space discontinuous feeder scenario, and thus carrying out massive IoT services based on this feature.

[0117] Figure 6 A flow chart of another satellite access session establishment method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the satellite access session establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to the billing function, and includes the following steps:

[0118] S602: When the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, a billing quota request sent by the session management function is received.

[0119] In one embodiment, when the billing quota request does not satisfy the billing policy, the billing quota request is modified according to the billing policy; the billing function confirms the billing quota request according to the billing policy, and when the billing quota request does not satisfy the billing policy, the billing quota request is modified according to the billing policy to achieve that the billing quota request satisfies the billing policy.

[0120] S604, generating quota billing data according to the billing quota request;

[0121] S606: Send quota billing data to the session management function.

[0122] In one embodiment, the quota billing data includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: result indication, satellite information, store-and-forward indication, guaranteed quota management information, call timestamp, call sequence number, etc.

[0123] In the above embodiment, it supports receiving the billing parameters of the data storage and forwarding request sent by the session management function, confirming the parameters and creating a call record, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground-space discontinuous feeder scenario.

[0124] Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also provides a satellite access charging device, such as the following embodiment. Since the principle of solving the problem in the device embodiment is similar to that in the above method embodiment, the implementation of the device embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiment, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0125] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a satellite access charging device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 As shown, the satellite access charging device 7 includes: a request sending module 701, a data receiving module 702;

[0126] The request sending module 701 sends a billing data request to the billing function when the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, so that the billing function generates actual billing data according to the billing data request; wherein the billing data request includes at least one of the following: satellite information, a store-and-forward indication, and actual quota management information; the actual quota management information is actual traffic usage data corresponding to the satellite and the ground gateway;

[0127] The data receiving module 702 receives actual billing data sent by the billing function.

[0128] In one embodiment, the satellite access billing device 7 also includes a data recovery module, which is used for: when the satellite and the ground gateway restore the connection, the ground user plane function forwards the stored uplink data packet to the on-board user plane function; the on-board user plane function forwards the stored downlink data packet to the ground user plane function.

[0129] In one embodiment, the satellite access charging device 7 also includes a session establishment module. The session management function determines the ground user plane function and the satellite user plane function according to the session strategy, and sends a session establishment request to the ground user plane function and the satellite user plane function.

[0130] In one embodiment, the satellite access billing device 7 further comprises a quota request module, which sends a billing quota request to the billing function when the satellite is connected to the ground gateway.

[0131] In one embodiment, the satellite access billing device 7 further includes a quota receiving module for receiving quota billing data sent by the billing function.

[0132] In one embodiment, the satellite access billing device 7 also includes a first data processing module. When the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the on-board user plane function receives and stores uplink data packets according to the storage and forwarding indication; when the storage duration corresponding to the on-board storage session data of the on-board user plane function exceeds the first storage data duration, the on-board user plane function deletes the stored on-board storage session data and releases the corresponding session resources; when the on-board storage session data of the on-board user plane function exceeds the first storage data amount, the on-board user plane function discards the uplink data packet.

[0133] In one embodiment, the satellite access billing device 7 also includes a second data processing module. When the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the ground user plane function receives and stores downlink data packets according to the storage and forwarding instructions; when the storage duration corresponding to the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function exceeds the second storage data duration, the ground user plane function deletes the ground storage session data; when the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function exceeds the second storage data amount, the ground user plane function discards the downlink data packet.

[0134] In one embodiment, the satellite access billing device 7 also includes a data storage module. When the session is established, the functional network element receives a storage forwarding indication corresponding to the session; when the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is less than the session storage data duration, the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal are maintained; when the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is greater than or equal to the session storage data duration, the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal are released.

[0135] In the above embodiment, it supports sending the actual billing parameters of data storage and forwarding to the billing function, and triggers the above billing process when the corresponding session is created, modified, and released. Based on the user plane function on the satellite with data storage and forwarding function, the relevant billing process in the session process is enhanced to complete the billing of user traffic usage, that is, it supports the storage and forwarding of satellite information, uplink data volume, downlink data volume, duration and other billing dimensions at the terminal granularity or session granularity. Statistics are performed, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground non-continuous feeder scenario, and thus carrying out massive IoT services based on this feature.

[0136] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another satellite access charging device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 8 As shown, the satellite access charging device 8 includes: a request receiving module 801, a data generating module 802, and a charging sending module 803;

[0137] The request receiving module 801 receives the charging data request sent by the session management function;

[0138] The data generation module 802 confirms the billing data request and generates actual billing data according to the billing policy;

[0139] The billing sending module 803 sends actual billing data to the session management function.

[0140] In one embodiment, the satellite access billing device 8 also includes a billing update module. When the billing data request is a usage reporting request for updating billing, the billing function updates the corresponding call record according to the billing data request; when the billing data request is a usage reporting request for closing billing, the billing function closes the corresponding call record according to the billing data request.

[0141] In one embodiment, the satellite access billing device 8 also includes a session billing module, which receives a billing quota request sent by a session management function when the satellite is connected to a ground gateway; generates quota billing data according to the billing quota request; and sends the quota billing data to the session management function.

[0142] In the above embodiment, it supports receiving the actual billing parameters of the data storage and forwarding sent by the session management function, and updates or closes the corresponding call records after analyzing and calculating the parameters at the terminal granularity or session granularity, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground-space discontinuous feeder scenario, and thus carrying out massive IoT services based on this feature.

[0143] Fig. 9 A network diagram showing data storage and forwarding billing for access by a satellite 903 in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig. 9 As shown, the data storage, forwarding and billing network accessed by satellite 903 includes: user terminal 901, base station 902, satellite 903, ground gateway 904, on-board user plane function 905, ground user plane function 906, session management function 907, billing function 908, access and mobility management function 909, and enterprise server 910.

[0144] When establishing a session of a delay-tolerant IoT terminal in the air-ground scenario:

[0145] When the user terminal 901 accesses the mobile network via the satellite 903, the user terminal 901 will initiate a normal registration process, and after the registration process is successful, a normal session establishment process will be initiated.

[0146] During the session establishment process, the session management function 907 selects a ground user plane function 906 and an on-satellite user plane function 905 for the user terminal 901 to implement a user plane path of the user terminal 901-on-satellite base station 902-on-satellite user plane function 905-ground user plane function 906, as follows:

[0147] The session management function 907 selects a ground user plane function 906 as the session anchor user plane function of the user terminal 901 according to the session policy (including the store-and-forward policy), and sends the N4 session establishment request to the ground user plane function 906, including standard information elements such as the PDU session identifier and the N9 core network tunnel information. At the same time, the N4 session establishment request also includes information such as the store-and-forward indication, the uplink and downlink identifiers, the maximum storage data duration, and the maximum storage data volume.

[0148] The session management function 907 selects the user plane function supporting the store-and-forward function on the same satellite 903 as the access base station 902 as the on-board user plane function 905 according to the session strategy (including the store-and-forward strategy), and sends the N4 session establishment request to the satellite 905, including the PDU session identifier, N9 core network tunnel information and other standard information elements. At the same time, the N4 session establishment request also includes the store-and-forward indication, uplink and downlink identifiers, maximum storage data duration, maximum storage data volume and other information;

[0149] The session management function 907 will send a billing quota request to the billing function 908. The billing quota request is an initial quota request, which carries but is not limited to satellite 903 information, storage and forwarding instructions, requested quota management information, etc., and indicates the total requested uplink traffic usage, the total requested downlink traffic usage, the requested usage duration and other parameters in the requested quota management information.

[0150] The billing function 908 confirms the request parameters based on the store-and-forward service policy or local policy (if they cannot be met, they are modified to appropriate values), and then returns a billing data response, i.e., quota billing data, to the session management function 907, which carries, but is not limited to, a result indication, satellite 903 information, a store-and-forward indication, and confirmed request quota management information as guaranteed quota management information, and indicates in the confirmed request quota management information the guaranteed total uplink traffic usage, the guaranteed total downlink traffic usage, the guaranteed usage duration and other parameters.

[0151] Data storage process after satellite 903 is disconnected from ground gateway 904:

[0152] When the satellite 903 is disconnected from the ground gateway 904, the N9 tunnel will be disconnected. At this time, the on-board user plane function 905 can sense that the ground user plane function 906 is unreachable, and trigger its storage and forwarding function according to the storage and forwarding indication. After all N3 tunnel uplink data packets reach the on-board data forwarding module, they will be forwarded to the on-board data storage module, where all the session data packets are stored in order with the PDU session identifier index. When the first storage data duration is exceeded, the on-board user plane function 905 will delete the stored session data and release the resources of the PDU session; when the first storage data volume is exceeded, the on-board user plane function 905 directly discards the received data packets.

[0153] Similarly, the ground user plane function 906 will store the downlink data packets of the session, that is, when the satellite 903 is disconnected from the ground gateway station 904, the ground user plane function 906 receives and stores the downlink data packets according to the storage and forwarding instructions. The ground user plane function 906 includes a ground data storage module and a ground data forwarding module, and the ground data forwarding module is connected to the enterprise server 910; when the storage time corresponding to the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function 906 exceeds the second storage data time, the ground user plane function 906 deletes the ground storage session data; when the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function 906 exceeds the second storage data amount, the ground user plane function 906 discards the downlink data packet.

[0154] The session management function 907 does not charge for the amount of discarded data.

[0155] At the same time, since the base station 902, the access and mobility management function 909, and the session management function 907 have received the storage and forwarding indication of the session during the session establishment process, although the control plane signaling is unreachable, they will start the timer according to the maximum storage data duration, and maintain the resources and context of the session and the terminal within the duration; after the duration expires, the resources and context of the terminal and the session are automatically released.

[0156] Data forwarding process after the satellite 903 and the ground gateway 904 are restored to connection:

[0157] Within the maximum data storage time, the satellite 903 restores the connection with the ground gateway 904, and the control plane signaling between the base station 902 and the network element uses the previous identifier to connect, such as the control plane IP address, port, etc. The onboard user plane function 905 sends the data packet of the PDU session to the data forwarding module, and the data forwarding module uses the original tunnel information to send it to the ground user plane function 906; similarly, the ground user plane function 906 forwards the stored uplink data to the onboard user plane function 905.

[0158] Afterwards, the session management function 907 will send a billing data request to the billing function 908. The billing data request is a request to update or close the usage report of this billing, which carries but is not limited to satellite 903 information, storage and forwarding instructions, and indicates the actual total uplink traffic usage, the actual total downlink traffic usage, the actual usage time and other parameters in the approved quota management information.

[0159] The billing function 908 completes the fee calculation according to the above parameters, updates or closes the corresponding call record, and returns a billing data response to the session management function 907 to confirm the information in the request.

[0160] In one embodiment, the user terminal 901 may be various electronic devices, including but not limited to smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, etc., for displaying the names and types of tasks that the crowdsourcing workers need to repair.

[0161] Optionally, the client of the application installed in different user terminals 901 is the same, or the client of the same type of application based on different operating systems. Based on the different terminal platforms, the specific form of the client of the application can also be different, for example, the application client can be a mobile client, a PC client, etc.

[0162] The enterprise server 910 may be a server that provides various services, such as a background management server that provides support for the device operated by the user using the user terminal 901. The background management server may analyze and process the received request and other data, and feed back the processing results to the terminal device.

[0163] Optionally, the server can be an independent physical server, a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server that provides basic cloud computing services such as cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communications, middleware services, domain name services, security services, CDN (Content Delivery Network), as well as big data and artificial intelligence platforms.

[0164] In the related technology, for some massive IoT terminals that are delay-tolerant, if services can continue to be provided to these terminals after an interruption, for example, massive monitoring sensors can continue to upload monitoring data, and satellites provide temporary data storage services, when the satellite is connected to the ground gateway again, the satellite will forward this data to the ground; in this case, the satellite needs to store the message until there is an available feeder link to forward it, so it is also very important to identify the validity of the data and maintain the terminal context after the connection is restored.

[0165] In the above embodiment, based on the user plane function with data storage and forwarding function on the satellite, the relevant billing process in the session process is enhanced to complete the billing of user traffic usage, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground non-continuous feeder scenario, and thus carrying out massive IoT services based on this feature.

[0166] Fig.10 A message flow chart of a data storage and forwarding billing request and response for satellite access in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown as follows: Fig.10 As shown:

[0167] S1002, a sensor establishes a connection with a satellite as a user terminal UE, then successfully registers and completes UPF selection and the previous session establishment process according to the standard process. At this time, the satellite maintains a connection with the ground gateway.

[0168] S1004, SMF selects a UPF on the same aircraft as the base station as the on-board UPF, and the SMF and the on-board UPF establish an N4 session Session respectively, and the on-board UPF responds to the SMF through the N4 Session.

[0169] S1006, SMF selects a ground UPF as PSA, SMF establishes N4Session with the ground UPF, and the ground UPF responds to SMF through N4 Session.

[0170] S1008, SMF sends a Charging Data Request message corresponding to a charging quota request to CHF, which carries a session identifier Session Identifier = 1, a network function consumer identifier NF Consumer Identification = {NF Functionality = SMF}, an invocation timestamp Invocation Timestamp = 1672301000, an invocation sequence number Invocation Sequence Number = 1, multiple unit usage data Multiple Unit Usage = {RatingGroup = SatA_SF, requested quota management information Requested Unit = {requested usage time Time = 120, requested total uplink and downlink traffic usage Total Volume = 10, requested total uplink traffic usage Uplink Volume = 8, requested total downlink traffic usage Downlink Volume = 2}}; the Rating Group indicates satellite information and storage and forwarding indication service.

[0171] S1010, CHF creates a corresponding call record with session identifier Session Identifier = 1, and sends a Charging Data Response message corresponding to the quota billing data to SMF, which carries session identifier Session Identifier = 1, invocation timestamp Invocation Timestamp = 1672301005, invocation sequence number Invocation SequenceNumber = 2, multiple unit usage data Multiple Unit Information = {Rating Group = SatA_SF, guaranteed quota management information Granted Unit = {guaranteed usage time Time = 120, guaranteed total uplink and downlink traffic usage Total Volume = 10, guaranteed total uplink traffic usage Uplink Volume = 8, guaranteed total downlink traffic usage Downlink Volume = 2}}; the Rating Group indicates satellite information and storage and forwarding indication service.

[0172] S1012, SMF sends N1 and N2 request messages to AMF, and AMF responds to the request messages.

[0173] S1014, AMF sends an N2 PDU session request to the base station, and the base station responds to the N2 PDU session request.

[0174] S1016, the user terminal transmits uplink traffic based on the base station, functional network elements, etc.

[0175] S1018, AMF sends a PDU session context update request to SMF.

[0176] S1020, SMF sends an N4 session modification request to the on-board user plane function, and the on-board user plane function responds to the N4 session modification request.

[0177] S1022, the user terminal receives downlink traffic based on the base station, functional network elements, etc.

[0178] S1024, a store-and-forward process after feeder disconnection and reconnection.

[0179] In one embodiment, when the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the onboard user plane function receives and stores uplink data packets according to the store-and-forward indication; when the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the ground user plane function receives and stores downlink data packets according to the store-and-forward indication.

[0180] S1026, SMF sends an N4 session modification request to the on-board user plane function, and the on-board user plane function responds to the N4 session modification request.

[0181] S1028, SMF sends a Charging Data Request message corresponding to the billing data request to CHF, which carries the session identifier Session Identifier = 1, the network function consumer identifier NF Consumer Identification = {NF Functionality = SMF}, the invocation timestamp Invocation Timestamp = 1672321080, the invocation sequence number Invocation Sequence Number = 3, the multiple unit usage data Multiple Unit Usage = {ResultCode = Success, Rating Group = SatA_SF, the actual quota management information Used Unit Container = {actual usage time Time = 80, the actual total downlink traffic usage Total Volume = 5, the actual total uplink traffic usage Uplink Volume = 4, the actual total downlink traffic usage Downlink Volume = 1}}; the Rating Group indicates the satellite information and the storage and forwarding indication service.

[0182] S1030, CHF updates the corresponding call record of Session Identifier = 1, and sends a Charging Data Response message corresponding to the actual billing data to SMF, which carries the session identifier Session Identifier = 1, the invocation timestamp Invocation Timestamp = 1672301085, the invocation sequence number Invocation Sequence Number = 4, and the multiple unit usage data Multiple Unit Information = {Rating Group = SatA_SF, Granted Unit {confirmation of actual usage time Time = 40, confirmation of actual downlink traffic usage parameter Total Volume = 5, confirmation of actual uplink traffic usage parameter Uplink Volume = 4, confirmation of actual downlink traffic usage parameter DownlinkVolume = 1}}; the Rating Group indicates satellite information and storage and forwarding indication service.

[0183] In one embodiment, the actual billing data includes at least one of the following: satellite information, storage and forwarding instructions, and confirmation of quota management information; the confirmation of quota management information includes at least one of the following: confirmation of the actual total uplink traffic usage, confirmation of the actual total downlink traffic usage parameters, and confirmation of the actual usage duration.

[0184] In the above embodiment, based on the user plane function with data storage and forwarding function on the satellite, the relevant billing process in the session process is enhanced to complete the billing of user traffic usage, thereby realizing delay-tolerant data service billing for massive IoT devices in the air-ground non-continuous feeder scenario, and thus carrying out massive IoT services based on this feature.

[0185] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented as systems, methods or program products. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure may be specifically implemented in the following forms, namely: complete hardware implementation, complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuits", "modules" or "systems".

[0186] Refer to the following Fig.11 1100 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Fig.11 The electronic device 1100 shown is merely an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0187] like Fig.11 As shown, the electronic device 1100 is in the form of a general computing device. The components of the electronic device 1100 may include but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 1110, at least one storage unit 1120, and a bus 1130 connecting different system components (including the storage unit 1120 and the processing unit 1110).

[0188] The storage unit stores program codes, which can be executed by the processing unit 1110, so that the processing unit 1110 executes the steps described in the above “exemplary method” section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0189] For example, the processing unit 1110 can execute the following steps of the above-mentioned method embodiment: during the session establishment process, the session management function selects the ground user plane function and the on-board user plane function for the user terminal. When the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, the session management function sends a billing quota request and a billing data request containing satellite information, storage and forwarding instructions, actual quota management information and other data to the billing function. The billing function generates quota billing data according to the billing quota request, generates actual billing data according to the billing data request and sends it to the session management function.

[0190] The storage unit 1120 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as a random access storage unit (RAM) 11201 and / or a cache storage unit 11202 , and may further include a read-only storage unit (ROM) 11203 .

[0191] The storage unit 1120 may also include a program / utility 11204 having a set (at least one) of program modules 11205, such program modules 11205 including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each of which or some combination may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0192] Bus 1130 may represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory unit bus or memory unit controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0193] The electronic device 1100 may also communicate with one or more external devices 1140 (e.g., keyboards, pointing devices, Bluetooth devices, etc.), may also communicate with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 1100, and / or communicate with any device that enables the electronic device 1100 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., routers, modems, etc.). Such communication may be performed via an input / output (I / O) interface 1150. Furthermore, the electronic device 1100 may also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via a network adapter 1160. As shown, the network adapter 1160 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 1100 via a bus 1130. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 1100, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0194] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0195] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A program product capable of implementing the above method of the present disclosure is stored thereon. In some possible implementations, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes a program code, and when the program product is run on a terminal device, the program code is used to cause the terminal device to execute the steps according to various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure described in the above “Exemplary Method” section of this specification.

[0196] For example, when the program product in the embodiment of the present disclosure is executed by the processor, the method of implementing the following steps is implemented: during the session establishment process, the session management function selects the ground user plane function and the on-board user plane function for the user terminal. When the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, the session management function sends a billing quota request and a billing data request containing satellite information, storage and forwarding instructions, actual quota management information and other data to the billing function. The billing function generates quota billing data according to the billing quota request, generates actual billing data according to the billing data request and sends it to the session management function.

[0197] More specific examples of computer-readable storage media in the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, an electrical connection having one or more conductors, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0198] In the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, wherein a readable program code is carried. Such propagated data signals may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, which may send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0199] Alternatively, the program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0200] In a specific implementation, the program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as a separate software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In the case of a remote computing device, the remote computing device may be connected to the user computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., using an Internet service provider to connect through the Internet).

[0201] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. On the contrary, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be embodied.

[0202] In addition, although the steps of the method in the present disclosure are described in a specific order in the drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in this specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired results. Additionally or alternatively, some steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be decomposed into multiple steps, etc.

[0203] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a mobile terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0204] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present disclosure, which follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are intended to be exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A satellite access charging method, characterized in that: Applies to session management functions, including: When the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, a billing data request is sent to the billing function so that the billing function generates actual billing data according to the billing data request; wherein the billing data request includes at least one of the following: satellite information, a store-and-forward indication, and actual quota management information; the actual quota management information is actual traffic usage data corresponding to the satellite and the ground gateway; The actual charging data sent by the charging function is received.

2. The satellite access charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: When the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, a billing quota request is sent to the billing function so that the billing function generates quota billing data according to the billing quota request; The quota billing data sent by the billing function is received.

3. The satellite access charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Determine, according to the session strategy, a ground user plane function and an on-board user plane function, wherein the on-board user plane function is a user plane function supporting a store-and-forward function on the same satellite as the access base station; A session establishment request is sent to the ground user plane function and the on-board user plane function.

4. The satellite access charging method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: When the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the on-board user plane function receives and stores uplink data packets according to a store-and-forward instruction; When the storage duration corresponding to the on-board stored session data of the on-board user plane function exceeds the first storage data duration, the on-board user plane function deletes the on-board stored session data; When the on-board stored session data of the on-board user plane function exceeds a first stored data amount, the on-board user plane function discards the uplink data packet.

5. The satellite access charging method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: When the satellite is disconnected from the ground gateway, the ground user plane function receives and stores downlink data packets according to the store-and-forward instruction; When the storage duration corresponding to the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function exceeds the second storage data duration, the ground user plane function deletes the ground storage session data; When the ground storage session data of the ground user plane function exceeds the second storage data amount, the ground user plane function discards the downlink data packet.

6. The satellite access charging method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: When the satellite is connected to the ground gateway again, the ground user plane function forwards the stored uplink data packet to the on-board user plane function; The on-board user plane function forwards the stored downlink data packet to the ground user plane function.

7. The satellite access charging method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: When a session is established, the functional network element receives a store-and-forward indication corresponding to the session; When the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is less than the session storage data duration, retaining the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal; When the storage duration corresponding to the session data in the functional network element is greater than or equal to the session storage data duration, releasing the session data and the resources and context of the corresponding terminal; The functional network element includes at least one of the following: a base station, an access and mobility management function and the session management function.

8. The satellite access charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actual quota management information includes at least one of the following: the actual total amount of uplink traffic usage, the actual total amount of downlink traffic usage parameters, and the actual usage duration; The actual billing data includes at least one of the following: satellite information, store-and-forward instructions, and confirmed quota management information; The confirmed quota management information includes at least one of the following: confirmation of the actual total amount of uplink traffic usage, confirmation of parameters of the actual total amount of downlink traffic usage, confirmation of the actual usage duration, and billing results.

9. The satellite access charging method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The billing quota request includes at least one of the following: satellite information, store-and-forward indication, and request quota management information; The requested quota management information includes at least one of the following: a requested total amount of uplink traffic usage, a requested total amount of downlink traffic usage parameters, and a requested usage duration.

10. The satellite access charging method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The quota billing data includes at least one of the following: result indication, satellite information, store-and-forward indication, and guaranteed quota management information; The guaranteed quota management information includes at least one of the following: guaranteed total uplink traffic usage, guaranteed total downlink traffic usage, and guaranteed usage duration.

11. The satellite access charging method according to claim 3 or 7, characterized in that: The session establishment request includes at least one of the following: session identifier, N9 core network tunnel information, store-and-forward indication, uplink and downlink identifier, maximum storage data duration, and maximum storage data volume; The maximum data storage duration includes: a first data storage duration and a second data storage duration; the maximum data storage volume includes: a first data storage volume and a second data storage volume.

12. A satellite access charging method, characterized in that: Applied to billing functions, including: receiving a billing data request sent by a session management function; Confirming the billing data request according to the billing policy to generate actual billing data; The actual charging data is sent to the session management function.

13. The satellite access charging method according to claim 12, characterized in that: Also includes: When the satellite is connected to the ground gateway, receiving a billing quota request sent by the session management function; generating quota billing data according to the billing quota request; The quota charging data is sent to the session management function.

14. The satellite access charging method according to claim 12, characterized in that: Also includes: When the billing data request is a usage report request for updating billing, the billing function updates the corresponding call record according to the billing data request; When the billing data request is a usage report request for closing billing, the billing function closes the corresponding call record according to the billing data request.

15. The satellite access charging method according to claim 13, characterized in that: Also includes: When the charging quota request does not satisfy the charging policy, the charging quota request is modified according to the charging policy.

16. A satellite access charging device, characterized in that: include: a request sending module, which sends a billing data request to a billing function when the satellite is connected to a ground gateway, so that the billing function generates actual billing data according to the billing data request; wherein the billing data request includes at least one of the following: satellite information, a store-and-forward indication, and actual quota management information; the actual quota management information is actual traffic usage data corresponding to the satellite and the ground gateway; A data receiving module receives the actual billing data sent by the billing function.

17. A satellite access charging device, characterized in that: include: A request receiving module, receiving a billing data request sent by a session management function; A data generation module, which confirms the billing data request and generates actual billing data according to the billing policy; The billing sending module sends the actual billing data to the session management function.

18. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: processor; as well as A memory, configured to store executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the satellite access charging method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 by executing the executable instructions.

19. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the satellite access charging method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 is implemented.

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