Methods and apparatus for selecting business rules, and methods and apparatus for making decisions on business rules.

Abstract

This disclosure provides a method for selecting service rules. The method is used in a user plane communication device and specifically includes: receiving rule selection information from a control plane communication device, the rule selection information including at least one status information of a service; and selecting a matching service rule from a plurality of service rules configured locally based on the status information. This disclosure also provides an apparatus for selecting service rules, a method for deciding on service rules, and an apparatus for doing so.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for selecting service rules and a method and apparatus for deciding on service rules. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of communication technology, the concept of CU separation (CUPS, Control and User Plane Separation) has been proposed. For example, the 5G standard specified by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) requires the implementation of CU separation.

[0003] CU separation separates user plane (U-plane) functions from control plane (C-plane) functions, thereby freeing U-plane functions from "centralization" constraints and allowing them to be flexibly configured in the core network (central data center) or access network (edge ​​data center), meeting the needs of on-demand distributed configuration.

[0004] In CU separation mode, service rules (such as rules related to service flow control and billing) can be configured (stored) on the U plane. Service rules can be selected (activated or deleted) through control commands on the C plane, thereby reducing signaling (such as Sx / N4 signaling) overhead and reducing latency caused by signaling transmission between the core network and the access network.

[0005] However, the above method requires configuring a large number of business rules on the U-side and setting many control commands for selecting business rules. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure provides a method and apparatus for selecting business rules, and a method and apparatus for making decisions on business rules.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for selecting service rules for a user plane communication device, the method comprising:

[0008] Receive rule selection information from the control plane communication device, the rule selection information including at least one status information of the service;

[0009] Based on the status information, a matching business rule is selected from multiple business rules configured locally.

[0010] In some embodiments, the multiple business rules configured locally include:

[0011] Any one or more combinations of predefined packet detection rules, predefined forwarding execution rules, predefined QoS execution rules, predefined billing and metering reporting rules, local application detection and control rules, and local service detection function rules.

[0012] In some embodiments, the predefined billing and metering reporting rules include:

[0013] Predefined offline billing and metering reporting rules, and / or, predefined online billing and metering reporting rules.

[0014] In a second aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for making decision-making service rules for a control plane communication device, the method comprising:

[0015] Based on the status of the business, determine at least one status information of the business;

[0016] Send rule selection information to the user plane communication device, the rule selection information including the status information.

[0017] In some embodiments, the rule selection information includes:

[0018] Session-level information and business-level information.

[0019] In some embodiments, the session-level information includes:

[0020] Offline billing status information for the service, and / or online billing status information for the service.

[0021] In some embodiments, the service-level information includes control group detection rule information.

[0022] In some embodiments, the control group detection rule information includes:

[0023] Any one or more combinations of bearer type information, local billing status information, billing instance number information, and original priority information.

[0024] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a user plane communication device, including:

[0025] The receiving module is configured to receive rule selection information from the control plane communication device, wherein the rule selection information includes at least one status information of the service;

[0026] The selection module is configured to select a matching business rule from multiple business rules configured locally based on the status information.

[0027] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a control plane communication device, including:

[0028] The status module is configured to determine at least one status information of a service based on its status.

[0029] The sending module is configured to send rule selection information to the user plane communication device, wherein the rule selection information includes the status information.

[0030] As can be seen, this embodiment of the present disclosure directly selects the corresponding business rules based on the specific state information of the business. Therefore, compared with the related technologies that select "a set" of business rules, this embodiment of the present disclosure does not need to configure a large number of similar rules on the U-side, but only needs to configure specific rules corresponding to different states. Moreover, this embodiment of the present disclosure does not need to pre-set a large number of names (each name corresponds to "a set" of business rules) to realize the selection of business rules. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of this disclosure and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this disclosure to explain the disclosure and do not constitute a limitation thereof. The above and other features and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for selecting business rules provided in this embodiment of the disclosure;

[0033] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for making business rules, provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 3 A block diagram illustrating the composition of an apparatus for selecting business rules, provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 4 A block diagram illustrating the composition of an apparatus for making business rules, as provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the U-surface rule configuration in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an information element in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another information element in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another information element in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another information element in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0041] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the URR ID structure of the U-side in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0042] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of Example 1 in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0043] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of Example 2 in the embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0044] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the methods and apparatus for selecting business rules and for making decisions on business rules provided in the embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, the embodiments shown may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth in this disclosure. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the scope of this disclosure.

[0046] Embodiments of this disclosure can be described with reference to plan views and / or cross-sectional views, taking into account the ideal schematic diagrams of this disclosure. Therefore, the example illustrations may be modified according to manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances.

[0047] Where there is no conflict, the various embodiments of this disclosure and the features thereof in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0048] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. The term "and / or" as used in this disclosure includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated enumerated entries. The singular forms "a" and "the" as used in this disclosure are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprising," "made of," etc., as used in this disclosure specify the presence of the stated feature, integral, step, operation, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0049] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used in this disclosure (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will also be understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and this disclosure, and will not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning, unless expressly so defined in this disclosure.

[0050] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but includes modifications to the configuration based on the manufacturing process. Therefore, the areas illustrated in the drawings are schematic, and the shapes of the areas shown illustrate specific shapes of the areas of an element, but are not intended to be limiting.

[0051] In some CU separation technologies, to enable the configuration (storage) of business rules (such as rules related to business flow control and billing) to be deployed on the U plane, a Pre-defined PDR (Predefined Packet Detection Rule) can be introduced. This means that a part of the Packet Detection Rule (PDR) dynamically issued by the control plane (C plane) is directly configured on the U plane, and Pre-defined FAR (Predefined Forwarding Execution Rule), Pre-defined QER (Predefined QoS Execution Rule), Pre-defined URR (Predefined Billing and Metering Reporting Rule), etc., associated with each Pre-defined PDR are configured on the U plane.

[0052] Therefore, the C-side can issue a special control PDR, and specify the name (ID) of a pre-defined PDR through the ActivatePredefined Rules and DeactivatePredefined Rules in the control PDR. This controls the U-side to activate or delete the corresponding pre-defined PDR and its associated other service rules. Consequently, it eliminates the need to occupy Sx / N4 signaling, reducing Sx / N4 signaling overhead and corresponding latency.

[0053] Furthermore, multiple Pre-defined PDRs can be grouped together. By specifying the name of the "group", C can activate or delete all Pre-defined PDRs and other associated business rules in that group.

[0054] However, much of the information related to business rules is configured only on the C-side. "Information related to business rules" means that when this information differs, at least some of the selected business rules should also differ. Therefore, when configuring business rules on the U-side (business rule sinking), to accommodate the differences in the above information, it is necessary to configure "multiple sets" of business rules corresponding to various different situations on the U-side, with each "set" of business rules corresponding to a specific situation of the information.

[0055] For example, situations that could trigger multiple sets of business rules may include the following:

[0056] Scenario 1: Depending on whether offline or online billing is enabled for the session (i.e., user background), different pre-defined URRs need to be configured, resulting in the following 4 sets of business rules:

[0057] (1) Enabling offline billing and disabling online billing correspond to a set of business rules;

[0058] (2) Enabling offline billing and enabling online billing correspond to a set of business rules;

[0059] (3) There is a set of business rules for disabling offline billing and disabling online billing;

[0060] (4) A set of business rules corresponds to disabling offline billing and enabling online billing;

[0061] Clearly, the above four sets of business rules require four different pre-defined PDR names to enable the selection of business rules.

[0062] Scenario 2: In some cases, billing is bearer-based, meaning call detail records (CDRs) are granular at the bearer level. Different bearers within the same session will interact with their respective Diameter Sessions (endpoint paintings) and OCS (Online Charging System) to complete billing. Therefore, different bearers also require their own corresponding Pre-defined URRs.

[0063] Depending on the communication standard, a session may have a maximum of 15 bearers or a maximum of 64 bearers (QoS streams under 5G). Therefore, 15 or 64 sets of service rules and corresponding pre-defined PDR names need to be configured.

[0064] Scenario 3: 5G core network billing uses the N40 service interface. The SMF (Session Management Function) sends billing signaling to the CHF (Charging Function). The CHF interface performs billing at the session level and supports online and / or offline billing.

[0065] Specifically, when online billing is enabled, the CHF interface can report online billing service usage based on the Rating Group (RG), and also report the usage of one or more associated sub-services based on the Service ID (SI). When offline billing is enabled, the CHF interface can report the service usage along with the session based on the Service ID. Therefore, CHF interface billing will generate the following six sets of corresponding business rules and Pre-defined PDR names:

[0066] (1) When offline billing is turned off and online billing is turned off, a set of business rules applies.

[0067] (2) Enable offline Service ID billing and disable online billing, corresponding to a set of business rules;

[0068] (3) Disable offline Service ID billing and enable online Rating Group billing, but disable online Service ID billing. This corresponds to one set of business rules.

[0069] (4) Disable offline Service ID billing and enable online Rating Group billing. At the same time, enable online Service ID billing, which corresponds to a set of business rules;

[0070] (5) Enable offline Service ID billing, enable online Rating Group billing, but disable online Service ID billing, corresponding to one set of business rules;

[0071] (6) Enable offline Service ID billing, enable online Rating Group billing, and enable online Service ID billing, corresponding to a set of business rules.

[0072] As can be seen, based on the above three situations or their combinations, many sets of business rules may be generated, and the content of different "sets" of business rules may be largely the same; moreover, the above three situations are just examples, and with the development of technology, the situations affecting business rules may be further refined, and more "sets" of business rules may be generated.

[0073] As can be seen, the above-mentioned technologies make the configuration of business rules on the U-side very complex, and also require setting a large number of pre-defined PDR names in order to select (activate, delete) different sets of business rules.

[0074] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for selecting service rules for a user plane communication device.

[0075] The method for selecting service rules in this embodiment is used to allow user plane (U-plane) communication equipment to select service rules when service rules are deployed (i.e., at least some service rules are configured on the U-plane) in a CU separation mode (e.g., CU separation of 4G core network and 5G core network as specified by 3GPP).

[0076] Among them, "user plane (U-plane) communication equipment" refers to the equipment configured on the user plane during the communication process. It can be a single physical device or a collection of multiple physical devices.

[0077] Among them, selecting business rules includes rules activation (Active) and deletion (Deactive), which means determining the business rules that take effect on the current business.

[0078] Reference Figure 1 The method for selecting business rules in this disclosure includes:

[0079] S101. Receive rule selection information from the control plane communication device. The rule selection information includes at least one status information of the service.

[0080] The user plane communication device receives information (rule selection information) sent by the control plane communication device to implement rule selection. This rule selection information includes status information, which is a situation related to the status of the business that will affect the selection of business rules, such as session background, business application background, user background, etc.

[0081] S102. Based on the status information, select the matching business rule from multiple business rules configured locally.

[0082] Different service rules are pre-stored in the user plane communication equipment (service rule sinking). In this step (S102), the user plane communication equipment selects (activates or deletes) the corresponding service rule according to the above status information. That is, according to each status information, it directly selects the specific service rule that matches it, instead of selecting "a set" of service rules.

[0083] As can be seen, this embodiment of the present disclosure directly selects the corresponding business rules based on the specific state information of the business. Therefore, compared with the related technologies that select "a set" of business rules, this embodiment of the present disclosure does not need to configure a large number of similar rules on the U-side, but only needs to configure specific rules corresponding to different states. Moreover, this embodiment of the present disclosure does not need to pre-set a large number of names (each name corresponds to "a set" of business rules) to realize the selection of business rules.

[0084] In some embodiments, the multiple service rules configured locally include any one or more combinations of predefined packet detection rules, predefined forwarding execution rules, predefined QoS execution rules, predefined billing and metering reporting rules, local application detection and control rules, and local service detection function rules.

[0085] The specific business rules that can be pushed down to the U-plane may include: predefined packet detection rules (Pre-defined PDR), predefined forwarding execution rules (Pre-defined FAR), predefined QoS execution rules (Pre-defined QER), predefined billing and metering reporting rules (Pre-defined URR), local application detection and control rules (ADC), local service detection function rules (TDF), etc.

[0086] In some embodiments, predefined billing and metering reporting rules include: predefined offline billing and metering reporting rules, and / or, predefined online billing and metering reporting rules.

[0087] The predefined billing and metering report rules can be further divided into two specific rules based on whether offline billing or online billing is enabled for the service.

[0088] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for making decision-making service rules for control plane communication devices.

[0089] The method for selecting service rules in this embodiment is used to provide control plane (C plane) communication equipment with decision-making service rules when service rules are sinked (i.e., at least some service rules are configured on the U plane) in a CU separation mode (e.g., CU separation of 4G core network and 5G core network as specified by 3GPP) and at the user plane (U plane) mode.

[0090] Among them, "control plane (C-plane) communication equipment" refers to the equipment configured on the control plane during the communication process. It can be a single physical device or a collection of multiple physical devices.

[0091] Reference Figure 2 The method for making business rules according to embodiments of this disclosure includes:

[0092] S201. Based on the status of the service, determine at least one status information of the service.

[0093] The control plane communication equipment determines at least one state information (state information) of the service based on the actual situation of the current service, and this state information will affect the rule selection of the U plane.

[0094] S202. Send rule selection information to the user plane communication equipment. The rule selection information includes status information.

[0095] The control plane communication equipment adds the above status information to the rule selection information and sends it to the user plane communication equipment, so that the user plane communication equipment can directly select (activate, delete) the corresponding service rule according to the status information in the rule selection information, thereby configuring the service rule.

[0096] As can be seen, this embodiment of the present disclosure directly selects the corresponding business rules based on the specific state information of the business. Therefore, compared with the related technologies that select "a set" of business rules, this embodiment of the present disclosure does not need to configure a large number of similar rules on the U-side, but only needs to configure specific rules corresponding to different states. Moreover, this embodiment of the present disclosure does not need to pre-set a large number of names (each name corresponds to "a set" of business rules) to realize the selection of business rules.

[0097] In some embodiments, rule selection information includes session-level information and business-level information.

[0098] That is, the rule selection information can be session-level information sent at the session level or service-level information sent at the PDR level.

[0099] In some embodiments, session-level information includes: offline billing status information of the service, and / or online billing status information of the service.

[0100] The status information that distinguishes whether offline billing and online billing are enabled can be set and sent in the above session-level information.

[0101] In some embodiments, service-level information includes control group detection rule information.

[0102] The above-mentioned service-level (PDR Level) information specifically refers to the PDR information sent by the control plane communication equipment, that is, a special control PDR information.

[0103] In some embodiments, the control packet detection rule information includes any one or more combinations of bearer type information, local billing status information, billing instance number information, and original priority information.

[0104] The PDR control information mentioned above may specifically include information indicating the bearer attribute, information indicating the local charging status, information indicating the charging instance number, and information indicating the original priority.

[0105] Thirdly, referring to Figure 3This disclosure provides a user plane communication device, which includes:

[0106] The receiving module is configured to receive rule selection information from the control plane communication device, wherein the rule selection information includes at least one status information of the service;

[0107] The selection module is configured to select a matching business rule from multiple business rules configured locally based on the status information.

[0108] The user plane communication device of this disclosure embodiment can implement the above method for selecting service rules.

[0109] As previously understood, the user plane (U-plane) communication device of this disclosure embodiment can be a single physical device or a collection of multiple physical devices; correspondingly, each module therein can be a single physical device, a part of a single physical device, or a collection of multiple physical devices.

[0110] Fourthly, refer to Figure 4 This disclosure provides a control plane communication device, including:

[0111] The status module is configured to determine at least one status information of a service based on its status.

[0112] The sending module is configured to send rule selection information to the user plane communication device. The rule selection information includes status information.

[0113] The user plane communication device of this disclosure embodiment can implement the above-mentioned decision-making service rules method.

[0114] As previously understood, the control plane (C-plane) communication device of this disclosure embodiment can be a single physical device or a collection of multiple physical devices; correspondingly, each module therein can be a single physical device, a part of a single physical device, or a collection of multiple physical devices.

[0115] The following describes the regular storage architecture configured on the U-side in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0116] Reference Figure 5 The dashed line to the left represents the business rules issued by C to a certain session. These rules are organized in the form of PDR (Control PDR) strings and can be arranged according to the priority of the control PDRs. "Default" and "Dedicated" represent "default bearer" and "dedicated bearer" respectively.

[0117] The area to the right of the dashed line represents multiple business rules configured locally on the U-side and activated under the session (the text "Pre-defined" is not marked in the figure). These include predefined or local PDR, URR, FAQ, QER, etc., and URR is divided into two types: one corresponding to online billing activation and the other corresponding to offline billing activation.

[0118] It should be understood that Figure 5 The business rules activated in the middle are virtual, that is, they are selected separately from the business rules configured in the U plane. Therefore, URR, FAQ, QER, etc., are not necessarily in a one-to-one correspondence with PDR.

[0119] The specific form of rule selection information in the embodiments of this disclosure is described below.

[0120] The rule selection information only needs to indicate the required state information, but as one embodiment of this disclosure, a new extended IE (Information Element) can be set as the form of expressing the state information.

[0121] For example, two extended IEs can be added to the session sent from the C-side to represent "Business Billing Mode". The two extended IEs are used to indicate whether the user's online billing and offline billing functions are enabled. The specific format can be found in [reference]. Figure 6 As shown, it includes:

[0122] For the offline IE, a value of 1 indicates that offline billing for the service is enabled in this session, and a value of 0 indicates that offline billing is disabled.

[0123] For the Online IE settings, a value of 1 indicates that online billing for the service is enabled in this session, while a value of 1 indicates that online billing is disabled.

[0124] Specifically, it can be stipulated that, under the background of business rule decentralization, the C-side must issue the above IE when establishing a session; otherwise, the U-side can refuse to establish the session. Furthermore, the above IE can be in the session-level information, and whether the corresponding business rules are enabled depends on the business-level information. For example, if the business-level information indicates that the service is free, then regardless of the status of the above Offline and Online IEs, billing-related business rules (such as URR) will not be enabled.

[0125] Of course, it is also feasible to only issue the above IE when billing is required for C-side, and not issue the above IE when the service is free.

[0126] Of course, it is also feasible to set up only one IE, such as an IE with a charging mode, and use its different values ​​(such as 0~3) to represent different combinations of offline and online billing states.

[0127] Correspondingly, in the business level (PDR Level) information, other status information can be represented by the extended IE in the special control PDR issued by the C-side.

[0128] For example, when billing is performed at the bearer level, different bearers using the same service must be billed separately, thus requiring different URRs. To address this, an "Icons for Rule Sinking Information" can be added to the control PDR issued from the C-side, indicating relevant information such as bearer and billing details.

[0129] Specifically, the "rule sinking information" necessarily includes the IE of Bearer Attribute (bearer type information) and the IE of Charging Information (billing instance number information), and optionally includes the IE of Original Precedence (original priority information); the meanings of the above IEs are as follows:

[0130] The IE format for Bearer Attributes can be found in [reference]. Figure 7 A value of 0 indicates the use of the default bearer, while a value of 1 indicates the use of a dedicated bearer.

[0131] The IE format for Charging Information can be found here. Figure 8 In this context, Local (location) is set to 1, indicating that local billing using the U-side is required, while 0 indicates that local billing using the U-side is not required. The Charging Instance value can be between 0 and 14 (corresponding to 15 bearers) or between 0 and 63 (corresponding to 64 bearers), with different values ​​representing different bearers. 0 can be used to represent the default bearer; since dedicated bearers are rare, Charging Instance is usually set to 0.

[0132] For the IE format of Original Precedence, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 9 It represents the original priority, which can be issued by the PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) to indicate the priority of the information, so that the U-side can compare this priority with the priority of the locally configured business rules to determine which one to use as the basis for selecting business rules.

[0133] It can also specify whether the above "rule sinking information" exists in IE, and indicate whether this business involves business rule sinking.

[0134] In other words, if the control PDR does not contain the above IE, the rule logic processing can be carried out according to the C-side when non-business rules are sinked, that is, matching the control PDR and processing according to the expected associated rules (such as RA, RS, etc.).

[0135] The above settings facilitate flexible selection for the implementation of business rules.

[0136] The following describes the method of unfolding information of the U-side and the configuration table format of the C-side and U-side in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0137] As mentioned earlier, different URRs need to be configured for different bearers. Therefore, the IE of Charging Instance in the RuleSinking Information of the control PDR issued by the C-side can be 7 bits. Since 6 bits can represent 64 different bearers, the other bit can be reserved for expansion.

[0138] The structure of the names (IDs) of different URRs on the U-side can be found by referring to... Figure 10 This includes the segment corresponding to the ChargingInstance and the segment corresponding to the Original URR ID (original URR name), so that services with the same Rating Group / Service ID can be distinguished when they are on different bearers.

[0139] The Original URR ID is used to represent various statistical dimensions, such as the SI (Service Identity) for offline services and the RG (Service Reference Count) for online services. Therefore, Charging Instance + Original URR ID can represent the same offline service SI or online RG on different bearers. The URR ID for usage monitoring does not require a Charging Instance, so it takes a fixed value of 0. Figure 10 (Not shown in the image).

[0140] For example, the following configuration table can be set on the U-side to map the Original URR ID to the Type, where the Original URR ID is a unique key value (ranging from 1 to 134217727), and the Type is a value ranging from 0 to 2; a Type value of 0 indicates Offline Charge Service, 1 indicates Online Charge Rating, and 2 indicates Monitoring.

[0141]

[0142] On the C-side, a configuration table like the one shown below can also be set. The first two columns are identical to Table 1 above, while the last two columns are Rating Group and Monitoring Key. Each row's Type, Service ID, Rating Group, and Monitoring Key can form a unique index for reverse lookup of the Original URR ID. In the table below, if Rating Group and Monitoring Key are not specified, the default value of 0 will be automatically filled in.

[0143]

[0144] By configuring Table 2 above, the Usage context does not need to be occupied in the Sx module on the C side.

[0145] In Tables 1 and 2 above, Original URR ID is used, and only the lower 24 bits of the URR ID are configured, while the Charging Instance is reserved to distinguish services with the same billing granularity under different bearers.

[0146] Of course, the actual URR ID (URR name) can still be used in the command to select business rules. The specific command above can be:

[0147] ADD URRMAP:URRID=124 TYPE=OFFLINECHARGESERVICE SERVICEID=100RATINGGROUP=200

[0148] ADD URRMAP:URRID=125 TYPE=ONLINECHARGESERVICE RATINGGROUP=100010 (SERVICEID=10050) - Note: The content in parentheses is used when the online billing keyword is SI+RG.

[0149] ADD URRMAP:URRID=126 TYPE=MONITOR MONITORKEY=5001.

[0150] Below are some specific examples of U-surface rule configurations.

[0151] Taking the CU separation mode in the 4G core network and 5G core network of 3GPP rules as an example of service rule sinking, and taking PGW-U / UPF as the U-plane forwarding processing network element, PGW-C / SMF as the C-plane forwarding control network element, and PCRF / PCF as the policy and charging control network element.

[0152] Among them, PGW (Packet data network (PDN) Gateway) represents packet data gateway, and -U and -C after it represent the corresponding U plane and C plane respectively; while UPF (User Plane Function) represents user plane function, SMF (Session Management Function) represents session management function, and PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) represents policy and charging rules function.

[0153] Example 1:

[0154] Reference Figure 11 The process corresponding to Example 1 includes the following steps:

[0155] Step 1201: The PGW-C / SMF on the C-side initiates a session establishment request to the PGW-U / UPF on the U-side, creating the following content:

[0156] (1) Create PDR1: Uplink default bearer wildcard, carrying Active Predefine Rules to specify certain business rules (rule sets) for activating the U-side configuration;

[0157] (2) Create PDR2: Downlink default bearer wildcard, carrying Active Predefine Rules to specify certain service rules for activating the U-side configuration;

[0158] (3) Create FAR1: Used for uplink message forwarding;

[0159] (4) Create FAR2: Used for downlink message forwarding;

[0160] (5) Create URR1: Used for the combined statistical rules of the billing quantity of the bearing level;

[0161] (6) Create QER1: Used for bearer-level QoS (Quality of Service) execution.

[0162] Step 1202: The U-plane PGW-U / UPF responds to the C-plane PGW-C / SMF's session establishment request, and selects the corresponding rule according to the parameters in the session establishment request as follows:

[0163] (1) PDR1 and PDR2 point to the rule set configured on the U-side. There are multiple service rules in the rule set. Each service rule contains the provisions of a specific service, such as identification, forwarding, statistics, QoS execution, etc., i.e. the service's PDR, FAR, URR, QER;

[0164] (2) Both PDR1 and PDR2 are associated with the bearer-level QoS execution rule QER1, and both point to the bearer-level usage statistics rule URR1;

[0165] (3) PDR1 is associated with the uplink forwarding rule FAR1, and PDR2 is associated with the downlink forwarding rule FAR2.

[0166] Step 1203: When the user's uplink message arrives at the PGW-U / UPF of the U plane, the U plane matches PDR1. Since PDR1 is associated with the U plane rule set, it can match PDRi in the rule set, and the corresponding PDRi, FARi, QERi, and URRi will be activated.

[0167] In this context, the U-plane is equivalent to placing the virtual PDRi under the Session and associating this PDRi with the corresponding FARi, QERi, and URRi. At the same time, since the service message also belongs to the bearer, the PDRi also needs to be associated with the URR1 and QER1 issued in the C-plane. Specifically, the selection of FARi needs to refer to FAR1.

[0168] In the above process, the rules configured in the PGW-U / UPF on the U-side can be for all services, such as supporting both offline and online billing simultaneously, or supporting only one of them. Consequently, the PDRi may be configured with two URRs, such as URRi-1 (corresponding to offline billing) and URRi-2 (corresponding to offline billing). Therefore, in step 1201 above, the issued ServiceCharge Mode determines which of URRi-1 and URRi-2, or both, or zero (i.e., neither is activated). For example, for an offline billing user, only URRi-1 can be used; for an online billing user, only URRi-2 can be used. If both billing methods are needed, both are used; otherwise, neither is used.

[0169] As can be seen, based on the above method, only two business rules, URRi-1 and URRi-2, need to be configured on the U-side; however, if the relevant technology of selecting "one set of business rules" is required, at least the following four sets of business rules need to be configured:

[0170] (1) PDRi, FARi, QERi, URRi-1, URRi-2;

[0171] (2) PDRi, FARi, QERi, URRi-1;

[0172] (3) PDRi, FARi, QERi, URRi-2;

[0173] (4) PDRi, FARi, QERi;

[0174] Furthermore, it is also necessary to configure the corresponding Pre-defined PDR name for each set of business rules so that the C-side can select the appropriate "set" of business rules.

[0175] Example 2:

[0176] Reference Figure 12 The process corresponding to Example 2 includes the following steps:

[0177] Step 1301: The PGW-C / SMF on the C side receives the session creation message.

[0178] Step 1302: The PGW-C / SMF on the C side sends the first policy request message to the PCRF / PCF.

[0179] Step 1303: The PCRF / PCF responds to the first policy request message.

[0180] Step 1304: The PGW-C / SM on the C-side initiates a session establishment request to the PGW-U / UPF on the U-side, creating the following content:

[0181] (1) Create PDR1: Uplink default bearer wildcard, carrying a set of rules for the active predefine rules to activate the U-side configuration. PDR carries the IE of Rule Sinking Information, and Rule SinkingInformation carries the IE of Charging Information. The value of the IE of Charging Instance contained therein is 0.

[0182] (2) Create PDR2: Downlink default bearer wildcard, carrying a set of rules for the active predefine rules to specify the active U-side configuration. PDR carries the IE of Rule Sinking Information, and Rule SinkingInformation carries the IE of Charging Information. The value of the IE of Charging Instance contained therein is 0.

[0183] (3) Create FAR1: Used for uplink message forwarding;

[0184] (4) Create FAR2: Used for downlink message forwarding;

[0185] (5) Create URR1: Used for the default load class billing quantity merging statistics rules;

[0186] (6) Create QER1: Used for default bearer-level QoS execution.

[0187] Step 1305: The U-side PGW-U / UPF responds to the C-side PGW-C / SMF's session establishment request, and selects the corresponding rule based on the parameters in the C-side's session establishment request, as follows:

[0188] (1) PDR1 and PDR2 point to the rule set configured on the U-side. There are multiple rules in the rule set. Each rule contains the identification, forwarding, statistics and QoS execution of a specific service, namely virtual services PDR, FAR, URR and QER.

[0189] (2) Both PDR1 and PDR2 are associated with the bearer-level QoS execution rule QER1, and both point to the bearer-level usage statistics rule URR1;

[0190] (3) PDR1 is associated with the uplink forwarding rule FAR1, and PDR2 is associated with the downlink forwarding rule FAR2.

[0191] Step 1306: Session access successful, PGW-C / SMF on the C side responds to the session access request.

[0192] Step 1307: The uplink of a certain service flow has been carried out by default.

[0193] When a user's uplink message arrives and matches PDR1, because PDR1 is associated with the U-side rule set, and PDRi can be matched within that rule set, the U-side essentially places the virtual PDRi corresponding to the matched U-side predefined rule set under the Session, and associates this PDRi with the corresponding FARi, QERi, and URRi. Simultaneously, since the service message also belongs to the bearer, the PDRi also needs to be associated with the URR1 and QER1 previously issued by the C-side, and the FARi needs to refer to FAR1. The URR ID corresponding to the URRi here can be constructed as a 32-bit ID as follows:

[0194]

[0195] In this context, Bit1 has a value of 1, indicating that it is the URR ID assigned by the U-side; Bits 2 to 8 have values ​​of 0, indicating that the Charging Instance in the corresponding PDR1 issued by the C-side is 0, which means that the URRi of this service belongs to the default bearer billing; Bits 9 to 32 have values ​​of 10010010, indicating that when configuring rules on the U-side, the Original URR ID of a certain billing URRi corresponding to this service rule is configured as 10010010.

[0196] Of course, the working principle when downlink messages arrive is the same, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0197] Step 1308: The PCRF / PCF initiates a reverse private bearer establishment request to the PGW-C / SMF on the C plane. The private bearer service billing information in the request does not include the requirement for the PCEF to perform billing itself.

[0198] Step 1309: The PGW-C / SMF on the C side responds to the PCRF / PCF by initiating a reverse proprietary bearer establishment request.

[0199] Step 1310: The PGW-C / SMF on the C side initiates a bearer establishment request to the front-end network element.

[0200] Step 1311: The PGW-C / SMF front-end network element on the C side responds to the bearer establishment request.

[0201] Step 1312: The PGW-C / SMF on the C-side initiates a session update request to the PGW-U / UPF on the U-side, selecting the appropriate service rules for the dedicated bearer. Specific service rules may include:

[0202] (1) Create PDR3: Uplink dedicated bearer with dedicated bearer filtering SDF, carrying a set of rules for the active U-plane configuration specified by Active PredefineRules, IE carrying Rule Sinking Information under PDR, IE carrying Charging Information under Rule Sinking Information, and the value of the IE containing Charging Instance is 1.

[0203] (2) Create PDR4: Downlink dedicated bearer with dedicated bearer filtering SDF, carrying a set of rules for active U-plane configuration specified by Active PredefineRules, carrying Rule Sinking Information IE under PDR, carrying Charging Information IE under Rule Sinking Information, and the value of the Charging Instance IE contained therein is 1.

[0204] (3) Create FAR3: Used for forwarding uplink messages on dedicated bearers;

[0205] (4) Create FAR4: Used for forwarding downlink messages on dedicated bearers;

[0206] (5) Create URR2: Used for the rule of combining and statistically analyzing the billing amount of the dedicated bearer class;

[0207] (6) Create QER2: Used for dedicated bearer-level QoS execution.

[0208] Step 1313: The PGW-U / UPF on the U side responds to the session update request.

[0209] Step 1314: Dedicated bearer service begins, message matching PDR3 and PDR4.

[0210] Simultaneously, based on the predefined rules configured in the PGW-U / UPF on the U-side, after identification, the same billing parameters (i.e., the same Service ID / Rating Group) as when performing services with the default bearer are selected. Therefore, the billing URR associated with dedicated bearers PDR3 and PDR4 is also URRi (i.e., the Original URR ID is 10010010). However, bearer-based billing requires separate usage statistics for each dedicated bearer; therefore, the billing URR for this dedicated bearer is denoted as ~URRi. Specifically, the URR ID corresponding to ~URRi is constructed as a 32-bit ID as follows:

[0211]

[0212] The construction of the URR ID corresponding to ~URRi is similar to that of the URR ID of the default bearer. The difference is that the IE of the Charging Instance in Bits 2 to 8 is 1, indicating that it is a dedicated bearer. The Original URR ID corresponding to ~URRi is consistent with that of the default bearer, indicating that the two have the same URRi, that is, the same billing parameters.

[0213] Step 1315: When a user releases a session or needs to generate a call detail record, trigger the PGW-U / UPF report on the U-side.

[0214] The data reported by the PGW-U / UPF on the U-side includes URR1, URRi, URR2, and ~URRi. Among them, the URR IDs of URR1 and URR2 are assigned by the C-side (with a maximum bit of 0), while the URR IDs of URRi and ~URRi are assigned by the U-side (with a maximum bit of 0). URR1 and URR2 respectively count the bearer-level usage of the default bearer and the dedicated bearer, while URRi and ~URRi respectively count the service-level usage of a certain Service ID / Rating Group under the default bearer and the dedicated bearer.

[0215] Step 1316: After receiving the report from the PGW-U / UPF on the U side, the PGW-C / SMF on the C side distinguishes which bearer the service usage belongs to based on the Charging Instance IE in the URRID of URRi and ~URRi, and implements billing for the corresponding bearer.

[0216] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or some of the steps, systems, and devices disclosed above, as functional modules / units, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or suitable combinations thereof.

[0217] In hardware implementations, the division between functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component may have multiple functions, or a function or step may be executed by several physical components working together.

[0218] Some or all of the physical components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor, or microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transient media). As is known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technique for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data). Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM, more specifically SDRAM, DDR, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory (FLASH) or other disk storage; read-only optical disc (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage; magnetic cartridges, magnetic tapes, disk storage or other magnetic storage; and any other media that can be used to store desired information and can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, as is known to those skilled in the art, communication media typically contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in modulated data signals such as carrier waves or other transmission mechanisms, and may include any information delivery medium.

[0219] This disclosure has disclosed exemplary embodiments, and although specific terminology has been used, it is for general illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. In some instances, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with particular embodiments may be used alone, or in combination with features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with other embodiments, unless otherwise expressly indicated. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure as set forth by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for selecting service rules, used in a user plane communication device, the method comprising: Receive rule selection information from a control plane communication device, the rule selection information including at least one status information of a service; wherein, the status information is information related to the status of the service and that affects the selection of service rules, and the rule selection information is session-level information and service-level information; Based on the status information, a matching business rule is selected from multiple business rules configured locally; wherein, the selection includes activation or deletion.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The multiple business rules configured locally include: Any one or more combinations of predefined packet detection rules, predefined forwarding execution rules, predefined QoS execution rules, predefined billing and metering reporting rules, local application detection and control rules, and local service detection function rules.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The predefined billing and metering reporting rules include: Predefined offline billing and metering reporting rules, and / or, predefined online billing and metering reporting rules.

4. A method for making decision-making service rules, used in a control plane communication device, the method comprising: Based on the status of the business, determine at least one status information of the business; wherein the status information is information related to the status of the business and that affects the selection of business rules; Sending rule selection information to the user plane communication device, the rule selection information including the status information; wherein, the rule selection information is used for the user plane communication device to select a matching service rule from multiple service rules configured locally based on the status information therein, the selection including activation or deletion; the rule selection information is session-level information and service-level information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The session-level information includes: Offline billing status information for the service, and / or online billing status information for the service.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The business-level information includes control group detection rule information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The control group detection rule information includes: Any one or more combinations of bearer type information, local billing status information, billing instance number information, and original priority information.

8. A user plane communication device, comprising: The receiving module is configured to receive rule selection information from a control plane communication device, wherein the rule selection information includes at least one status information of a service; wherein the status information is information related to the status of the service and that affects the selection of service rules; and the rule selection information includes session-level information and service-level information. The selection module is configured to select a matching business rule from multiple business rules configured locally based on the status information; wherein the selection includes activation or deletion.

9. A control plane communication device, comprising: The status module is configured to determine at least one status information of a service based on its status; wherein the status information is information related to the status of the service and that affects the selection of service rules. The sending module is configured to send rule selection information to the user plane communication device, the rule selection information including the status information; wherein, the rule selection information is used for the user plane communication device to select a matching service rule from multiple service rules configured locally based on the status information therein, the selection including activation or deletion; the rule selection information includes session-level information and service-level information.

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