Data flow monitoring method, SMF network element, PSA network element and readable storage medium

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a data traffic monitoring method, an SMF network element, a PSA network element, and a readable storage medium are provided. The session management network element (SMF) receives a usage monitoring instance from a charging control policy network element (PCF) and converts the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule (URR). The session management network element (SMF) sends the URR to a ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchor points (first PSA and second PSA) under the ULCL UPF. The ULCL UPF is inserted by the session management network element (SMF) into the data packet transmission path of an established PDU session. The session management network element (SMF) determines traffic usage based on traffic statistics reported by the ULCL UPF and the at least two UPF anchor points (first PSA and second PSA) and sends the result to the charging control policy network element (PCF). In certain implementations, the session management network element (SMF) can send the URR to multiple UPFs and determine traffic usage based on the traffic statistics returned by the multiple UPFs, enabling more accurate data traffic monitoring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to but are not limited to the field of 5G communication technology. Specifically, they relate to but are not limited to a data traffic monitoring method, an SMF network element, a PSA network element, and a readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In a fifth-generation communication system (5G), when a user accesses a 5G network, they establish a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session through the session management network element (SMF). The SMF inserts an uplink classifier (UPF) network element (abbreviated as UL CL UPF) into the data packet transmission path of the PDU session. The user's data packets are forwarded by the UL CL UPF network element to different UPF anchor points (PSAs). For data packets passing through the UPF network element, the user's data traffic can be monitored by using usage monitoring issued by the charging control policy network element (PCF). The usage monitoring issued by the charging control policy network element (PCF) can be targeted at a specific service, a group of services, or all services in the user's PDU session. Because the data traffic exchange process of the user terminal involves not only the UL CL UPF but also several UPFs, such as the UPF anchor point (PSA), the current 5G 3GPP 29.512 protocol does not describe how to accumulate usage statistics for multiple UPFs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of the present invention provides a data traffic monitoring method, an SMF network element, a PSA network element, and a readable storage medium to solve the problem that there is no method for data traffic statistics involving multiple UPF anchor points PSA under the current 5G network architecture.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a data flow monitoring method, comprising:

[0005] The session management network element SMF receives the usage monitoring instance sent by the charging control policy network element PCF and converts the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule URR;

[0006] The session management network element SMF sends the usage reporting rule URR to the ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchor points under the ULCL UPF, namely the first PSA and the second PSA. The ULCL UPF is a ULCL UPF inserted by the session management network element SMF in the data packet transmission path of the created PDU session;

[0007] The session management network element SMF determines the traffic usage according to the traffic statistics results reported by the ULCL UPF and the first PSA and the second PSA of at least two UPF anchor points, and sends the traffic usage to the charging control policy network element PCF.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a data flow monitoring method, comprising:

[0009] The PSA of the UPF anchor receives the usage reporting rule URR sent by the session management network element SMF, and counts the uplink traffic according to the usage reporting rule URR;

[0010] When receiving the query instruction sent by the session management network element SMF, the uplink traffic statistics result is sent to the session management network element SMF.

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a session management network element SMF, including:

[0012] a receiving unit, configured to receive a usage monitoring instance issued by a charging control policy network element (PCF), and traffic statistics reported by a ULCL UPF and two UPF anchor points, a first PSA and a second PSA, under the ULCL UPF, wherein the ULCL UPF is inserted by the session management network element (SMF) into a data message transmission path of the created PDU session;

[0013] A conversion unit, configured to convert the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule URR;

[0014] A sending unit, configured to send the usage reporting rule URR to the ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchor points, a first PSA and a second PSA, under the ULCL UPF, and send traffic usage to the charging control policy network element PCF;

[0015] The determining unit is configured to determine the traffic usage according to traffic statistics results reported by the ULCL UPF and the first PSA and the second PSA of the at least two UPF anchor points.

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a PSA network element of a UPF anchor point, including:

[0017] A receiving unit, configured to receive a usage reporting rule URR and a query instruction sent by a session management network element SMF;

[0018] A statistics unit, which counts uplink traffic according to the usage reporting rule URR;

[0019] The sending unit is used to send the uplink traffic statistics result to the session management network element SMF when receiving the query instruction.

[0020] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores one or more computer programs, and the one or more computer programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the steps of the above-mentioned data traffic monitoring method.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a data traffic monitoring method, an SMF network element, a PSA network element, and a readable storage medium are provided. The session management network element (SMF) receives a usage monitoring instance from a charging control policy network element (PCF) and converts the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule (URR). The session management network element (SMF) sends the URR to a ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchors (first and second PSAs) under the ULCL UPF. The ULCL UPF is inserted by the session management network element (SMF) into the data packet transmission path of an established PDU session. The session management network element (SMF) determines traffic usage based on traffic statistics reported by the ULCL UPF and the at least two UPF anchors (first and second PSAs), and sends the result to the charging control policy network element (PCF). In certain implementations, the session management network element (SMF) can send the URR to multiple UPFs and determine traffic usage based on the traffic statistics returned by the multiple UPFs, enabling more accurate data traffic monitoring.

[0022] Other features and corresponding beneficial effects of the present invention are described in the latter part of the specification, and it should be understood that at least some of the beneficial effects become obvious from the description in the specification of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the 5G Uplink Classifier user plane architecture provided for the implementation of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 A flow chart of a data flow monitoring method provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the usage monitoring installation process provided in the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 A flowchart of a data flow monitoring method provided in a fourth embodiment of the present invention in the absence of packet loss;

[0027] Figure 5 A flowchart of a data flow monitoring method under packet loss conditions provided in Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6A schematic diagram of a session management network element SMF provided in Example 6 of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a PSA network element provided in Example 6 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the following is a further detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention through specific implementation methods in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0031] In the 5G Uplink Classifier user plane architecture of an embodiment of the present invention, when a user terminal accesses the 5G network, the session management network element SMF creates a PDU session for the user terminal and inserts an uplink classifier UPF network element, referred to as ULCL UPF network element, into the data packet transmission path of the PDU session. The ULCL UPF network element is connected to multiple different UPF anchor points PSA. The data traffic of the user terminal is sent out through the ULCL UPF network element and the UPF anchor point PSA. At the same time, the return data traffic is aggregated to the ULCL UPF network element through the UPF anchor point PSA and then returned to the user terminal. In this process, when it is necessary to monitor the data traffic of the user terminal, the charging control policy network element PCF sends a usage monitoring instance to the session management network element SMF. The usage monitoring instance can be for a certain service or a group of services, or for all services on the user's PDU session. The session management network element SMF sends a usage reporting rule URR to multiple UPFs based on the usage monitoring instance. The UPF feeds back the data traffic statistics results to the session management network element SMF based on the usage reporting rule URR. The session management network element SMF summarizes the statistical results and then sends them to the charging control policy network element PCF. The schematic diagram of the 5G Uplink Classifier user plane architecture can be seen in Figure 1 .

[0032] Example 1:

[0033] The present invention solves the problem that the current 5G network architecture does not provide a method for data traffic statistics involving multiple UPF anchor points PSA. An embodiment of the present invention provides a data traffic monitoring method, including: a session management network element SMF receives a usage monitoring instance sent from a charging control policy network element PCF, and converts the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule URR; the session management network element SMF sends the usage reporting rule URR to a ULCL UPF, and at least two UPF anchor points, a first PSA and a second PSA, under the ULCL UPF, where the ULCL UPF is a ULCL UPF inserted by the session management network element SMF in the data packet transmission path of the created PDU session; the session management network element SMF determines the traffic usage based on the traffic statistics results reported by the ULCL UPF and the at least two UPF anchor points, the first PSA and the second PSA, and sends the traffic usage to the charging control policy network element PCF.

[0034] See Figure 2 , Figure 2 A flow chart of a data flow monitoring method provided in this embodiment. Figure 2 The data flow monitoring method is based on the existing PDU session. The process steps of the data flow monitoring method include:

[0035] Step S201: SMF receives the usage monitoring instance sent by PCF.

[0036] Step S202: The SMF converts the received usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule URR.

[0037] Step S203: The SMF sends a usage reporting rule URR to the ULCL, the first PSA, and the second PSA.

[0038] Step S204: The SMF receives traffic statistics results returned by the ULCL, the first PSA, and the second PSA.

[0039] Step S205: SMF determines the traffic usage based on the returned traffic statistics results.

[0040] Step S206: SMF sends the traffic usage to PCF.

[0041] In some embodiments, before receiving the usage monitoring instance from the charging control policy network element (PCF), the session management network element (SMF) further includes: detecting whether a new user terminal has connected to the 5G network. If so, the session management network element (SMF) creates a PDU session for the new user terminal. Since the embodiment of the present invention provides a PDU session protocol in the 5G network, the session management network element (SMF) needs to determine whether a new user terminal has connected, and when a new user terminal is connected, promptly establish a PDU session for the user terminal.

[0042] In some embodiments, a usage monitoring instance includes: a monitoring key and a usage monitoring threshold; a usage reporting rule URR includes: a traffic threshold for reporting data traffic monitoring and a URRID. The monitoring key is a monitoring key, and one usage monitoring instance corresponds to one monitoring key. The usage monitoring threshold is the threshold value that triggers the session management network element SMF to report. When the statistical traffic on the SMF reaches the threshold, the traffic statistics results are automatically reported. The traffic threshold is the threshold that triggers the UPF to report. When the statistical traffic on the UPF reaches the traffic threshold, the traffic statistics results are automatically reported. The URRID is the ID of the URR, which is used to identify the URR.

[0043] In some embodiments, the SMF sends the same usage reporting rule (URR) to the ULCL UPFs, as well as the first and second PSAs, for the same PDU session. Using the same URR for multiple UPFs in the same PDU session can reduce the processing complexity of the SMF and make it easier to identify whether multiple UPFs belong to the same group.

[0044] In some embodiments, the session management network element SMF determines the traffic usage based on the traffic statistics results reported by the ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchor points, the first PSA and the second PSA, including: receiving the downlink traffic statistics results in the traffic statistics results of the ULCL UPF, that is, the downlink traffic usage; receiving the uplink traffic statistics results of the ULCL UPF, and sending query instructions to the first PSA and the second PSA to obtain the uplink traffic statistics results of the first PSA and the second PSA, and comparing the sum of the uplink traffic statistics results of the first PSA and the second PSA with the uplink traffic statistics results of the ULCL UPF to obtain the uplink traffic usage.

[0045] Since the user terminal accesses the 5G network, all downlink traffic is aggregated to the ULCL UPF through the PSA and then sent to the user terminal. Therefore, to count the downlink traffic usage, it is only necessary to obtain the downlink traffic statistics from the ULCL UPF. That is, when the traffic statistics of the ULCL UPF reaches the traffic threshold, the downlink traffic statistics obtained from the traffic statistics returned to the session management network element SMF is the downlink traffic usage.

[0046] Uplink traffic flows from the user terminal to the ULCL UPF and then to the PSA. Due to the large number of PSAs and the potential for packet loss during forwarding, accurate monitoring of uplink traffic usage requires simultaneous acquisition of traffic statistics from both the ULCL UPF and PSA. Furthermore, since the ULCL UPF and PSA receive the same URR (that is, the same traffic threshold), the ULCL UPF's statistics will reach the trigger value first and report the traffic statistics. At this point, obtaining the PSA's traffic statistics requires the session management network element (SMF) to proactively query and send a query command.

[0047] In some embodiments, when the uplink traffic statistics of the ULCL UPF is less than or equal to the sum of the uplink traffic usage statistics of the first PSA and the second PSA, the uplink traffic statistics of the ULCL UPF is the uplink traffic usage. When the uplink traffic statistics of the ULCL UPF is less than or equal to the sum of the uplink traffic usage statistics of the first PSA and the second PSA, it means that there is no packet loss during the forwarding process of the first PSA and the second PSA, and therefore the uplink traffic statistics of the ULCL UPF is less than or equal to the sum of the uplink traffic usage statistics of the first PSA and the second PSA.

[0048] In some embodiments, when the uplink traffic usage of the ULCL UPF is greater than the sum of the uplink traffic usage of the first PSA and the second PSA, the sum of the uplink traffic usage of the first PSA and the second PSA is subtracted from the downlink traffic usage to obtain a remaining threshold; the remaining threshold is updated to the usage reporting rule URR to obtain a remaining usage reporting rule, and is sent to the ULCL UPF, as well as the first PSA and the second PSA. When the uplink traffic statistics of the ULCL UPF are greater than the sum of the uplink traffic usage statistics of the first PSA and the second PSA, it means that packet loss occurred during the forwarding process of the first PSA and the second PSA. However, due to the packet loss, the SMF did not reach the usage monitoring threshold and could not report to the PCF. It is necessary to determine the remaining usage, update the remaining traffic threshold to the usage reporting rule URR, and monitor the traffic again until the usage monitoring threshold is reached.

[0049] An embodiment of the present invention provides a data traffic monitoring method. A session management network element (SMF) receives a usage monitoring instance from a charging control policy network element (PCF) and converts the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule (URR). The SMF sends the URR to a ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchor points (first PSA and second PSA) under the ULCL UPF. The ULCL UPF is inserted by the SMF into the data packet transmission path of an established PDU session. The SMF determines traffic usage based on traffic statistics reported by the ULCL UPF and the at least two UPF anchor points (first PSA and second PSA), and sends the result to the charging control policy network element (PCF). In certain implementations, the SMF can send the URR to multiple UPFs and determine traffic usage based on the traffic statistics returned by the multiple UPFs, enabling more accurate data traffic monitoring.

[0050] Example 2:

[0051] This embodiment provides a data traffic monitoring method, which is applied to a 5G communication system. The data traffic monitoring method includes: the PSA of the UPF anchor point receives the usage reporting rule URR sent by the session management network element SMF, and counts the uplink traffic according to the usage reporting rule URR; when receiving a query instruction sent by the session management network element SMF, the uplink traffic statistics result is sent to the session management network element SMF.

[0052] In some embodiments, the PSA includes at least a first PSA and a second PSA. The PSA is connected to the ULCL UPF. After the user terminal accesses the 5G network and establishes a PDU session, the user terminal connects to the ULCL UPF. The ULCL UPF sends and receives data through the PSA. Therefore, the PSA connected to the ULCL UPF generally includes at least two or more.

[0053] In some embodiments, the usage reporting rule (URR) includes: a traffic threshold and a URRID for reporting data traffic monitoring; the first and second PSAs receive the same URR. Using the same URR reduces the processing complexity of the session management network element (SMF) and makes it easier to identify whether multiple UPFs belong to the same group.

[0054] This embodiment provides a data traffic monitoring method, including: a PSA at a UPF anchor point receives a usage reporting rule (URR) sent by a session management network element (SMF), and counts uplink traffic based on the URR; upon receiving a query instruction from the SMF, the PSA sends the uplink traffic statistics to the SMF. The URR sent by the SMF is sent to the PSA at the UPF anchor point. There are typically multiple PSAs, enabling traffic monitoring for multiple PSAs. Simultaneously obtaining uplink traffic statistics from multiple PSAs for traffic usage determination can further improve the accuracy of data traffic monitoring.

[0055] Example 3:

[0056] This embodiment provides a data flow monitoring method, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0057] Step S1, the charging control policy network element PCF sends a usage monitoring instance to monitor the service data traffic on the PDU session created by the terminal user. The PDU session may manage more than one PSA. In order to accurately count the user's data traffic, the session management network element SMF needs to convert the usage monitoring instance into a URR and send it to the ULCLUPF and anchor UPFs PSA1 and PSA2 respectively. The usage monitoring URR received by different UPFs contains a traffic threshold and a URRID for user data traffic monitoring. URRID serves as an identification ID for a URR. The URRIDs on different UPFs can be the same or different without restriction.

[0058] Step S2: User terminal data packets are distinguished between uplink and downlink. Downlink data packets are aggregated on the ULCL UPF before being forwarded to the user terminal. The ULCL UPF itself is aware of whether packets are discarded or forwarded. Therefore, the present invention can accurately calculate downlink packet traffic statistics directly through the ULCL without going through the PSA.

[0059] Step S3: After passing the ULCL UPF, uplink data packets need to be forwarded to PSA1 or PSA2. Their final destination is known only to the PSA. If uplink traffic is discarded at the PSA, the ULCL UPF has no way of knowing. Therefore, uplink traffic statistics collected at the ULCL UPF are inaccurate. The present invention requires the SMF, PSA, and ULCL UPF to collaborate to complete uplink data traffic statistics. PSA1 and PSA2 each collect URR traffic. If the data traffic collected by the ULCL UPF reaches the URR threshold, it is reported to the SMF. The SMF then determines and manages the accuracy of the reported URR traffic.

[0060] In step S31, there is no packet loss on PSA1 and PSA2, that is, the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on the ULCL UPF is equal to or less than the sum of the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on PSA1 plus the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on PSA2. When the data traffic of the ULCL UPF reaches the threshold of the issued URR, the ULCL UPF will report the URR to the SMF. The reported URR includes the uplink traffic, downlink traffic, and total traffic. After receiving the URR, the SMF queries PSA1 and PSA2 for traffic statistics corresponding to the URR, summarizes the uplink traffic on PSA1 and PSA2 obtained, and compares it with the uplink traffic reported by the ULCL UPF. If it is found that the uplink data statistics traffic corresponding to the URR on the ULCL UPF is equal to or less than the sum of the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on PSA1 plus the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on PSA2, the usage monitoring traffic counted by the ULCL UPF will be reported to the PCF.

[0061] In step S32, packet loss occurs on PSA1 or PSA2, i.e., the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on the ULCL UPF is greater than the sum of the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on PSA1 plus the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on PSA2. When the data traffic of the ULCL UPF reaches the threshold of the URR of the ULCL UPF, the ULCL UPF will report the URR to the SMF. The reported URR includes the uplink traffic, downlink traffic, and total traffic. After receiving the URR, the SMF queries PSA1 and PSA2 for traffic statistics corresponding to the URR, summarizes the uplink traffic on PSA1 and PSA2 obtained, and compares it with the uplink traffic reported by the ULCL UPF. It is found that the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on the ULCL UPF is greater than the sum of the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on PSA1 plus the uplink data traffic corresponding to the URR on PSA2. This situation indicates that the total traffic actually counted on PSA1 and PSA2 has not yet reached the threshold of the URR sent down. The SMF will cache the total uplink data traffic of PSA1 and PSA2 that has been counted, and calculate the remaining traffic that needs to be monitored, update it to the URR threshold, and resend it to the ULCL UPF, PSA1, and PSA2.

[0062] In step S321, ULCL UPF, PSA1 and PSA2 re-monitor and count the data traffic usage according to the updated URR. The statistical method continues to follow steps S31 and S32.

[0063] An embodiment of the present invention provides a data traffic monitoring method that monitors the data traffic usage of multiple UPFs by distinguishing between uplink and downlink data services, thereby more accurately counting user traffic, better protecting the interests of each operator, and enhancing the core competitiveness of operators in 5G network deployment.

[0064] Example 4:

[0065] The following is a detailed description of the process of a data flow monitoring method provided by this embodiment in the case of no packet loss. Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 This is a flow chart of the usage monitoring installation process provided in this embodiment. Figure 4 A flowchart of a data flow monitoring method provided in this embodiment when there is no packet loss.

[0066] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the N7 interface is supported between the SMF and PCF; the N4 interface is directly supported between the two network elements SMF and UPF, which belongs to the 3GPP protocol definition standard.

[0067] Step S301: The user terminal establishes a link in the 5G network, the SMF creates a PDU session for the user, and selects a UCL UPF and two UPF anchors (PSA1 and PSA2).

[0068] Step S302: The PCF sends a usage monitoring instance to the SMF for the user. The usage monitoring instance includes a monitoring key and a usage monitoring threshold.

[0069] Step S303: The SMF uses usage monitoring to formulate a usage reporting rule (URR) including a usage threshold, which is used for user data traffic statistics and sends it to the ULCL UPF.

[0070] Step S304: SMF sends the same usage reporting rule (URR) including the usage threshold to PSA1.

[0071] Step S305: SMF sends the same usage reporting rule (URR) including the usage threshold to PSA2.

[0072] Step S401: The user terminal starts to perform data services. Uplink data packets are forwarded to PSA1 or PSA2 via ULCL and finally sent to the DN side; downlink packets are aggregated to ULCL via PSA1 or PSA2 and finally sent to the UE side.

[0073] Step S402: When the traffic statistics corresponding to the URR on the ULCL reaches the URR threshold, the statistical traffic will be reported to the SMF.

[0074] Step S403: SMF queries PSA1 for the currently counted traffic corresponding to the URR.

[0075] Step S404: SMF queries PSA2 for the currently counted traffic corresponding to the URR.

[0076] Step S405: The SMF compares the ULCL uplink traffic statistics with the retrieved uplink traffic statistics of PSA1+PSA2. If the ULCL uplink traffic is less than or equal to the uplink traffic of PSA1+PSA2, it indicates that there is no packet loss on PSA1 and PSA2, and the traffic statistics reported by the ULCL UPF are accurate. The SMF reports the ULCL UPF traffic statistics to the PCF.

[0077] Embodiment 5:

[0078] The following is a detailed description of the process of a data flow monitoring method provided by this embodiment in the case of packet loss. Figure 3 and Figure 5 , Figure 5 A flow chart of a data flow monitoring method provided in this embodiment under the condition of packet loss.

[0079] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the N7 interface is supported between the SMF and PCF; the N4 interface is directly supported between the two network elements SMF and UPF, which belongs to the 3GPP protocol definition standard.

[0080] Step S301: The user terminal establishes a link in the 5G network, the SMF creates a PDU session for the user, and selects a UCL UPF and two UPF anchors (PSA1 and PSA2).

[0081] Step S302: The PCF sends a usage monitoring instance to the SMF for the user. The usage monitoring instance includes a monitoring key and a usage monitoring threshold.

[0082] Step S303: The SMF uses usage monitoring to formulate a usage reporting rule (URR) including a usage threshold, which is used for user data traffic statistics and sends it to the ULCL UPF.

[0083] Step S304: SMF sends the same usage reporting rule (URR) including the usage threshold to PSA1.

[0084] Step S305: SMF sends the same usage reporting rule (URR) including the usage threshold to PSA2.

[0085] Step S501: The user terminal starts to perform data services. Uplink data packets are forwarded to PSA1 or PSA2 via ULCL and finally sent to the DN side; downlink packets are aggregated to ULCL via PSA1 or PSA2 and finally sent to the UE side.

[0086] Step S502: When the traffic statistics corresponding to the URR on the ULCL reaches the URR threshold, the statistical traffic will be reported to the SMF.

[0087] Step S503: SMF queries PSA1 for the currently counted traffic corresponding to the URR.

[0088] Step S504: SMF queries PSA2 for the currently counted traffic corresponding to the URR.

[0089] Step S505: The SMF compares the ULCL uplink traffic statistics with the queried PSA1+PSA2 uplink traffic statistics. If the ULCL uplink traffic is greater than the PSA1+PSA2 uplink traffic, it indicates that uplink packet loss has occurred on PSA1 or PSA2. The SMF recalculates the threshold. Since downlink packet statistics on the ULCL UPF are accurate, the SMF caches the currently calculated uplink data traffic of PSA1 and PSA2 and the downlink traffic on the ULCL. It then calculates the remaining traffic to be monitored by subtracting the current total uplink traffic of PSA1 and PSA2 from the ULCL uplink traffic. This updates the URR threshold and sends it to the ULCL UPF.

[0090] Step S506: SMF sends the URR of the remaining usage monitoring threshold in step 10b to PSA1.

[0091] Step S507: SMF sends the URR of the remaining usage monitoring threshold in step 10b to PSA2.

[0092] Subsequent usage monitoring statistics will restart from step S501.

[0093] Example 6:

[0094] This embodiment also provides a session management network element SMF, which is applied to the 5G communication system. Figure 6 As shown, it includes:

[0095] A receiving unit 61 is configured to receive a usage monitoring instance issued by a charging control policy network element (PCF), and traffic statistics reported by a ULCL UPF and two UPF anchor points, a first PSA and a second PSA, under the ULCL UPF. The ULCL UPF is inserted by the session management network element (SMF) into the data message transmission path of the created PDU session.

[0096] A conversion unit 62, configured to convert the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule URR;

[0097] The sending unit 63 is configured to send the usage reporting rule URR to the ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchor points under the ULCL UPF, namely the first PSA and the second PSA, and send the traffic usage to the charging control policy network element PCF;

[0098] The determining unit 64 is configured to determine the traffic usage according to traffic statistics results reported by the ULCL UPF and the first PSA and the second PSA of the at least two UPF anchor points.

[0099] In some embodiments, the session management network element SMF also includes: a PDU session creation unit, which is used to detect whether a new user terminal accesses the 5G network, and if so, creates a PDU session for the new user terminal.

[0100] This embodiment also provides a PSA network element of a UPF anchor point, which is applied to a 5G communication system. Figure 7 As shown, it includes:

[0101] The receiving unit 71 is configured to receive a usage reporting rule URR and a query instruction sent by the session management network element SMF;

[0102] A statistics unit 72 is configured to count uplink traffic according to the usage reporting rule URR;

[0103] The sending unit 73 is configured to send the uplink traffic statistics result to the session management network element SMF when receiving the query instruction.

[0104] The present embodiment also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes volatile or non-volatile, removable or non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, computer program modules or other data). Computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable read only memory), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer.

[0105] The computer-readable storage medium in this embodiment can be used to store one or more computer programs, and the one or more computer programs stored therein can be executed by a processor to implement at least one step of a data traffic monitoring method in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 and embodiment 5.

[0106] It can be seen that those skilled in the art should understand that all or some of the steps, systems, and functional modules / units in the methods disclosed above can be implemented as software (which can be implemented using computer program code executable by a computing device), firmware, hardware, and appropriate combinations thereof. In hardware implementations, the division between the functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component can have multiple functions, or a function or step can be performed by several physical components in cooperation. Some or all physical components can be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, or a microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit.

[0107] In addition, it is well known to those skilled in the art that communication media generally contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, computer program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and may include any information delivery media. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to any specific hardware and software combination.

[0108] The above content is a further detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with specific implementation methods, and the specific implementation of the present invention cannot be considered to be limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art of the present invention, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made, which should be considered to fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A data traffic monitoring method, applied in a 5G communication system, characterized in that ,include: The session management network element SMF receives the usage monitoring instance sent by the charging control policy network element PCF and converts the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule URR; The session management network element SMF sends the usage reporting rule URR to the ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchor points under the ULCL UPF, namely the first PSA and the second PSA. The ULCL UPF is a ULCL UPF inserted by the session management network element SMF in the data packet transmission path of the created PDU session; The session management network element SMF determines the traffic usage according to the traffic statistics results reported by the ULCL UPF and the first PSA and the second PSA of the at least two UPF anchor points, and sends the result to the charging control policy network element PCF; The session management network element SMF determining the traffic usage according to traffic statistics results reported by the ULCL UPF and the first PSA and the second PSA of the at least two UPF anchor points includes: receiving a downlink traffic statistics result from the traffic statistics result of the ULCL UPF, namely the downlink traffic usage; Receive the uplink traffic statistics result of the ULCL UPF, and send a query instruction to the first PSA and the second PSA to obtain the uplink traffic statistics result of the first PSA and the second PSA, compare the sum of the uplink traffic statistics results of the first PSA and the second PSA with the uplink traffic statistics result of the ULCL UPF, and obtain the uplink traffic usage.

2. The data flow monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein: Before the session management network element SMF receives the usage monitoring instance sent by the charging control policy network element PCF, the following steps are also included: Detect whether a new user terminal accesses the 5G network. If yes, the session management network element SMF creates a PDU session for the new user terminal.

3. The data flow monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein: The usage monitoring instance includes: monitoring key and usage monitoring threshold threshold; The usage reporting rule URR includes: a traffic threshold and URRID for reporting data traffic monitoring.

4. The data flow monitoring method according to claim 3, wherein: The usage reporting rules URR sent by the session management network element SMF to the ULCL UPF of the same PDU session, as well as the first PSA and the second PSA are the same.

5. The data flow monitoring method according to claim 4, wherein: When the uplink traffic statistics result of the ULCL UPF is less than or equal to the sum of the uplink traffic usage statistics results of the first PSA and the second PSA, the uplink traffic statistics result of the ULCL UPF is the uplink traffic usage.

6. The data flow monitoring method according to claim 4, wherein: When the uplink traffic usage of the ULCL UPF is greater than the sum of the uplink traffic usages of the first PSA and the second PSA, subtract the sum of the uplink traffic usages of the first PSA and the second PSA from the downlink traffic usage to obtain a remaining traffic threshold; The remaining traffic threshold is updated into the usage reporting rule URR to obtain a remaining usage reporting rule, and the rule is sent to the ULCL UPF, the first PSA and the second PSA.

7. A data traffic monitoring method, applied to a 5G communication system, characterized in that ,include: The at least two UPF anchor points, the first PSA and the second PSA, under the ULCL UPF receive the usage reporting rule URR issued by the session management network element SMF. The ULCL UPF is a ULCL UPF inserted by the session management network element SMF in the data packet transmission path of the created PDU session. The at least two UPF anchor points, the first PSA and the second PSA, and the ULCL UPF report traffic statistics results so that the session management network element SMF determines the traffic usage and sends it to the charging control policy network element PCF, and counts the uplink traffic according to the usage reporting rule URR; Upon receiving the query instruction sent by the session management network element SMF, the uplink traffic statistics result is sent to the session management network element SMF, so that the session management network element SMF compares the uplink traffic statistics result with the uplink traffic statistics results of other UPF anchor points and ULCLUPF, thereby determining the uplink traffic usage; The step of determining the traffic usage by the session management network element SMF specifically includes: The downlink traffic statistics result in the traffic statistics result of the ULCL UPF is received as the downlink traffic usage; the uplink traffic statistics result of the ULCL UPF is received, and a query instruction is sent to the first PSA and the second PSA to obtain the uplink traffic statistics results of the first PSA and the second PSA, and the sum of the uplink traffic statistics results of the first PSA and the second PSA is compared with the uplink traffic statistics result of the ULCL UPF to obtain the uplink traffic usage.

8. The data flow monitoring method according to claim 7, characterized in that , the PSA includes at least a first PSA and a second PSA.

9. The data flow monitoring method according to claim 8, characterized in that ,The usage reporting rule URR includes: the traffic threshold and URRID for reporting data traffic monitoring; The usage reporting rules (URRs) received by the first PSA and the second PSA are the same.

10. A session management network element, applied to a 5G communication system, characterized in that: include: a receiving unit, configured to receive a usage monitoring instance issued by a charging control policy network element (PCF), and traffic statistics reported by a ULCL UPF and two UPF anchor points, a first PSA and a second PSA, under the ULCL UPF, wherein the ULCL UPF is inserted by the session management network element (SMF) into a data message transmission path of the created PDU session; A conversion unit, configured to convert the usage monitoring instance into a usage reporting rule URR; A sending unit, configured to send the usage reporting rule URR to the ULCL UPF and at least two UPF anchor points, a first PSA and a second PSA, under the ULCL UPF, and send traffic usage to the charging control policy network element PCF; A determination unit is used to determine the traffic usage based on the traffic statistics results reported by the ULCL UPF and the first PSA and the second PSA of at least two UPF anchor points. The determination unit is specifically used to receive the downlink traffic statistics results in the traffic statistics results of the ULCL UPF, that is, the downlink traffic usage; receive the uplink traffic statistics results of the ULCL UPF, and send query instructions to the first PSA and the second PSA to obtain the uplink traffic statistics results of the first PSA and the second PSA, compare the sum of the uplink traffic statistics results of the first PSA and the second PSA with the uplink traffic statistics results of the ULCL UPF, and obtain the uplink traffic usage.

11. The session management network element according to claim 10, wherein: Also includes: The PDU session creation unit is used to detect whether a new user terminal has accessed the 5G network, and if so, to create a PDU session for the new user terminal.

12. A PSA network element of a UPF anchor point, applied to a 5G communication system, wherein the 5G communication system includes the session management network element according to claim 10, characterized in that: include: A receiving unit, configured to receive a usage reporting rule URR and a query instruction sent by a session management network element SMF; A statistics unit, which counts uplink traffic according to the usage reporting rule URR; The sending unit is configured to send the uplink traffic statistics result to the session management network element SMF when receiving the query instruction, so that the session management network element SMF compares the uplink traffic statistics result with the uplink traffic statistics results of other UPF anchor points and ULCL UPF, thereby determining the uplink traffic usage.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores one or more computer programs, and the one or more computer programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the steps of the data traffic monitoring method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and to implement the steps of the data traffic monitoring method as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

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