Traffic billing information reporting and traffic billing report generation method and device

Abstract

This application discloses a method and apparatus for reporting traffic billing information and generating traffic billing reports. The method for reporting traffic billing information includes: receiving a PFCP session creation request message sent by a session management function network element, carrying indication information for indicating the target billing method of a terminal; determining a first target usage reporting rule based on the PFCP session creation request message; obtaining the terminal's service traffic information, and reporting the service traffic information to the session management function network element according to the first target usage reporting rule. The method for generating traffic billing reports includes: sending a PFCP session creation request message to a user plane entity; after receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity according to the first target usage reporting rule via a PFCP session record request message, feeding back a billing report to the user plane entity via a PFCP session record response message. This application solves the technical problem of terminal service interruption caused by the user plane entity's inability to distinguish billing methods in billing scenarios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of 5G mobile communication technology, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for reporting traffic billing information and generating traffic billing reports. Background Technology

[0002] Billing refers to the process by which operators calculate and charge users for their network resource usage. In 2G / 3G / 4G networks, billing is divided into online billing and offline billing, while 5G networks introduce converged billing. In actual network billing scenarios, the UPF (User Plane Function) is not needed for online, offline, or converged billing. This is because the UPF only identifies service packets, matches them with billing rules, and compiles the corresponding billing information into the URR (Usage Reporting Rule) issued by the SMF (Session Management Function), and then reports it according to the corresponding billing events.

[0003] For example, in a certain IoT billing scenario, a default predefined rule needs to be configured on the UPF. This predefined rule is bound to both online and offline billing URRs to generate default traffic call detail records (CDRs). Therefore, when an IoT terminal comes online, the SMF activates this predefined rule in the PFCP (Packet Forwarding Control Protocol) session creation message. However, the predefined rule does not distinguish between online and offline billing, so the UPF needs to differentiate between the current billing scenario (i.e., online and offline billing) and report them separately.

[0004] However, the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standard protocol lacks a standard protocol field in the interaction process between the SMF and UPF to identify the current billing scenario. Therefore, in IoT billing scenarios on 5G private networks, the SMF does not transmit the billing method to the UPF, and the UPF, after configuring predefined billing rules, cannot distinguish between online and offline billing, leading to interruptions in terminal services.

[0005] There is currently no effective solution to the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a method and apparatus for reporting traffic billing information and generating traffic billing reports, so as to at least solve the technical problem of terminal service interruption caused by the inability of user plane entities to distinguish billing methods in billing scenarios.

[0007] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a method for reporting traffic billing information is provided, comprising: receiving a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by a session management function network element, wherein the PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating a target billing method for a terminal, wherein the target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method; determining a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message, and sending a PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element; obtaining the terminal's service traffic information, and reporting the service traffic information to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule.

[0008] Optionally, receiving the Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by the session management function network element includes: after the session management function network element receives the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment request message from the terminal, receiving the PFCP session creation request message sent by the session management function network element, wherein the PFCP session creation request message includes at least: a protocol field for defining the target charging method of the terminal; parsing the protocol field in the PFCP session creation request message to determine the target charging method of the terminal.

[0009] Optionally, the protocol field adopts TLV encoding and includes: a tag for identifying the billing method, a length for identifying the billing method, and a field value for identifying the billing method, wherein the field value includes at least: a first value for identifying the online billing method and a second value for identifying the offline billing method.

[0010] Optionally, determining the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message includes: when the target billing method is online billing, determining to adopt the first usage reporting rule corresponding to the online billing method; and when the target billing method is offline billing, determining to adopt the second usage reporting rule corresponding to the offline billing method.

[0011] Optionally, obtaining the terminal's service traffic information includes: after sending a PFCP session establishment response message to the session management function network element and the session management function network element sending a protocol data unit session establishment response message to the terminal, obtaining the terminal's service traffic information when accessing the target service.

[0012] Optionally, reporting service traffic information to the session management function network element according to the first target usage reporting rule includes: reporting service traffic information to the session management function network element through a PFCP session record request message according to the first target usage reporting rule; and receiving a billing report from the session management function network element through a PFCP session record response message.

[0013] Optionally, after receiving the billing report fed back by the session management function network element through the PFCP session record response message, the method further includes: receiving a PFCP session modification request message sent by the session management function network element, wherein the PFCP session modification request message carries indication information for indicating the modification of the first target usage reporting rule; modifying the first target usage reporting rule based on the creation usage reporting rule information element in the PFCP session modification request message to obtain the second target usage reporting rule.

[0014] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a method for generating a traffic billing report is also provided, comprising: sending a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to a user plane entity, wherein the PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating a target billing method for a terminal, wherein the user plane entity is used to respond to a PFCP session creation response message after determining a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message, wherein the target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method; and after receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity according to the first target usage reporting rule through a PFCP session record request message, feeding back a billing report to the user plane entity through a PFCP session record response message.

[0015] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a traffic billing information reporting device is also provided, comprising: a receiving module, configured to receive a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by a session management function network element, wherein the PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating a target billing method for a terminal, wherein the target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method; a determining module, configured to determine a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message, and send a PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element; and a reporting module, configured to obtain the terminal's service traffic information, and report the service traffic information to the session management function network element according to the first target usage reporting rule.

[0016] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a traffic billing report generation apparatus is also provided, comprising: a sending module, configured to send a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to a user plane entity, the PFCP session creation request message carrying indication information for indicating a target billing method for a terminal, wherein the user plane entity is configured to respond with a PFCP session creation response message after determining a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message, the target billing method including one of the following: online billing method, offline billing method; and a report generation module, configured to, after receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity according to the first target usage reporting rule through a PFCP session record request message, feed back a billing report to the user plane entity through a PFCP session record response message.

[0017] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a non-volatile storage medium is also provided, which includes a stored program, wherein the device where the non-volatile storage medium is located executes the above-mentioned traffic billing information reporting method or traffic billing report generation method by running the program.

[0018] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, an electronic device is also provided, the electronic device including: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the above-described traffic billing information reporting method or traffic billing report generation method through the computer program.

[0019] In this embodiment, a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message is received from a session management function network element. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method. Based on the PFCP session creation request message, a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method is determined, and a PFCP session creation response message is sent to the session management function network element. The service traffic information of the terminal is obtained, and the service traffic information is reported to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule.

[0020] By receiving a PFCP session creation request message containing a protocol field from the session management function network element, the current billing scenario can be indicated through the protocol field. This avoids problems such as terminal disconnection and service interruption caused by the UPF's inability to distinguish billing scenarios, thus solving the technical problem of terminal service interruption caused by the user plane entity's inability to distinguish billing methods under billing scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating one of the optional methods for reporting traffic billing information using related technologies.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an optional traffic metering information reporting method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an optional TLV encoding according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another optional flow metering information reporting process according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an optional traffic metering report generation method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an optional flow metering information reporting device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an optional flow metering report generation device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0030] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0031] For ease of understanding, the relevant network elements / entities applied in this disclosure will be introduced below.

[0032] User equipment (UE) accesses the data network (DN) by connecting to the operator's network, and uses services provided by the operator or third parties on the DN.

[0033] The Session Management Function (SMF) is a control plane network element in 3GPP networks. The SMF is primarily responsible for managing the UE's PDU (Protocol Data Unit) sessions. A PDU session is a channel for transmitting PDUs; the UE can exchange PDUs with the DN (Digital Domain Controller) through the PDU session. The SMF is responsible for managing the establishment, maintenance, and deletion of PDU sessions.

[0034] The User Plane Entity (UPF) is the gateway for communication between the 3GPP network and DN.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating one possible method for reporting traffic metering information using related technologies, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the traffic metering information reporting process mainly consists of the following steps:

[0037] Step S11, UPF configures predefined billing rule A, wherein the predefined billing rule is bound to both online billing URR and offline billing URR;

[0038] Step S12: The terminal UE initiates a PDU session establishment request to the session management function network element (SMF);

[0039] Step S13: The Session Management Function (SMF) sends a PFCP Session EstablishmentRequest message to the User Plane Entity UPF / PGW-U (Packet Data Network Gateway-User Plane) to request the establishment of a PFCP session. This message activates the predefined rule A, but it does not carry a message field to indicate whether the current scenario is online billing or offline billing.

[0040] Step S14: The user plane entity UPF / PGW-U returns a PFCP SessionEstablishment Response message to the session management function network element SMF, indicating that the PFCP session has been successfully established.

[0041] Step S15: The PDU session between the terminal UE and the session management function network element SMF is successfully established;

[0042] Step S16: The terminal UE initiates traffic access to the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U. After the traffic is matched with the PDR, a new service report is triggered. However, since the UPF cannot distinguish whether the current billing scenario is online or offline, it will report the new service through both online billing URR and offline billing URR at the same time.

[0043] Step S17: The Session Management Function (SMF) sends a PFCP SessionDelete Request message to the User Plane Entity PGW-U / UPF to request the deletion of the PFCP session.

[0044] Therefore, during the above-mentioned traffic billing information reporting process, because the Session Management Function (SMF) network element does not transmit the terminal's current billing method to the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U), the UPF / PGW-U cannot distinguish whether it is currently online or offline billing after configuring the default billing rules, which will lead to the terminal dropping out and the service being interrupted.

[0045] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a method for reporting traffic billing information, which is applied to the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U. The billing method is identified by extending the interaction protocol fields between the SMF and UPF. When the private network-sinking UPF needs to differentiate billing scenarios, it can decode the corresponding PFCP message according to the protocol fields and save the billing method.

[0046] It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart in the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer-executable instructions, and although a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases the steps shown or described may be executed in a different order than that shown here.

[0047] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an optional traffic metering information reporting method according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown, this method is applied to user face entity UPF / PGW-U, and it includes at least the following steps S202-S206, wherein:

[0048] Step S202: Receive a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by the session management function network element. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target charging method of the terminal UE.

[0049] Specifically, the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U can obtain the current target charging method of the terminal UE by parsing the PFCP session creation request message. The target charging method includes one of the following: online charging method and offline charging method.

[0050] As an optional implementation, in the technical solution provided in step S202 above, the method may include: after the session management function network element receives the protocol data unit session establishment request message from the terminal, receiving the PFCP session creation request message sent by the session management function network element, wherein the PFCP session creation request message includes at least: a protocol field for defining the target billing method of the terminal; parsing the protocol field in the PFCP session creation request message to determine the target billing method of the terminal.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the terminal UE first initiates a PDU session establishment request to the session management function network element (SMF); then, the session management function network element (SMF) sends a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to the user plane entity (UPF / PGW-U); then, the user plane entity (UPF / PGW-U) parses the protocol fields in the PFCP session creation request message to obtain the target charging method of the terminal UE.

[0052] Optionally, the protocol field adopts TLV encoding and includes: a tag for identifying the billing method, a length for identifying the billing method, and a field value for identifying the billing method, wherein the field value includes at least: a first value for identifying the online billing method and a second value for identifying the offline billing method.

[0053] Specifically, TLV encoding follows the Tag Length Value format. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an optional TLV encoding according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 3 As shown, it mainly consists of three parts: data type (Tag), data length (Length), and data value (Value). Among them, Type identifies the IE Type of the billing information; Length identifies the length of the billing information; and Charging characteristics is a billing field, which can be 0x400 to identify the current billing scenario as online and 0x800 to identify the current billing scenario as offline.

[0054] Step S204: Based on the PFCP session creation request message, determine the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method, and send the PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element.

[0055] Specifically, since the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U is simultaneously bound to both the online billing method URR (i.e., the first usage reporting rule) and the offline billing method URR (i.e., the second usage reporting rule), and the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U will activate the predefined rules configured by the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U when it receives the PFCP session creation request message, the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U can also determine the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method after knowing the target billing method of the terminal UE.

[0056] In addition, after parsing the target billing method and the corresponding first target usage reporting rule through the PFCP session creation request message, the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U can also return a PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element SMF to complete the establishment of the PFCP session.

[0057] Optionally, the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U can determine the first target usage reporting rule according to the following rules: when the target billing method is online billing, the first usage reporting rule corresponding to the online billing method is adopted; when the target billing method is offline billing, the second usage reporting rule corresponding to the offline billing method is adopted. Both the first and second usage reporting rules include a traffic threshold.

[0058] Step S206: Obtain the terminal's service traffic information and report the service traffic information to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule.

[0059] Specifically, when a UE accesses service traffic, it sends service data packets to the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U). The new service reporting is triggered by matching the service traffic with the Packet Detection Rule (PDR) in the PFCP session. The UPF / PGW-U can then report the service traffic information corresponding to the session flow to the Session Management Function (SMF) based on the UE's first target usage reporting rule. This allows for new service reporting solely through online or offline billing URR, preventing service interruptions.

[0060] As an optional implementation, in the above-mentioned step S206, the method may further include: after sending a PFCP session establishment response message to the session management function network element and the session management function network element sending a protocol data unit session establishment response message to the terminal, obtaining the service traffic information of the terminal accessing the target service.

[0061] Specifically, only after the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U) sends a PFCP session establishment response message to the Session Management Function (SMF) and the SMF sends a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment response message to the UE can the UE initiate traffic access for the target service, and the UPF / PGW-U obtains the corresponding service traffic information.

[0062] As an optional implementation, in the above-mentioned step S206, the method may further include: reporting service traffic information to the session management function network element through a PFCP session record request message according to the first target usage reporting rule; and receiving a billing report from the session management function network element through a PFCP session record response message.

[0063] Specifically, the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U reports service traffic information to the session management function network element through the PFCP session record request message according to the first target usage reporting rule, and then receives the billing report fed back by the session management function network element through the PFCP session record response message. The billing report is billing information used for settlement.

[0064] Furthermore, the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U can also receive PFCP session modification request messages sent by the session management function network element. The PFCP session modification request message carries indication information for indicating the modification of the first target usage reporting rule. Based on the usage reporting rule information element created in the PFCP session modification request message, the first target usage reporting rule is modified to obtain the second target usage reporting rule.

[0065] Specifically, after completing the new service reporting, the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U) can also receive a PFCP session modification request message from the Session Management Function network element, requesting modification of the first target usage reporting rule. This PFCP session modification request message carries a create URR information element to create a URR, indicating subsequent usage reporting rules (i.e., the second target usage reporting rule). Modifying the usage reporting rules in the PFCP session can be understood as modifying the traffic usage range or time limit based on the user's initial traffic usage information for the new service. Then, the UPF / PGW-U can send a PFCP session modification response message to the Session Management Function network element, completing the modification of the terminal's usage reporting rules for the new service, thus allowing the terminal to access the network normally afterward.

[0066] As an optional implementation method, Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another optional flow metering information reporting process according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0067] Step S41: The terminal UE initiates a PDU session establishment request to the session management function network element (SMF);

[0068] Step S42: The Session Management Function (SMF) sends a PFCP SessionEstablishment Request message to the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U) to request the establishment of a PFCP session. This session can activate predefined rules in the UPF / PGW-U. The PFCP Session Establishment Request message carries a protocol field to indicate whether the current scenario of the terminal is an online billing scenario or an offline billing scenario.

[0069] Step S43: The user plane entity UPF / PGW-U parses the protocol fields and saves the terminal's billing method;

[0070] Step S44: The user plane entity UPF / PGW-U returns a PFCP SessionEstablishment Response message to the session management function network element SMF, indicating that the PFCP session has been successfully established.

[0071] Step S45: The PDU session between the terminal UE and the session management function network element SMF is successfully established;

[0072] Step S46: The terminal UE initiates traffic access. The user plane entity UPF / PGW-U triggers new service reporting after matching the PDR in the PFCP session with the traffic. According to the billing scenario, the new service is reported to the session management function network element SMF. In the online billing scenario, it is reported through the online billing URR (i.e., the first usage reporting rule), and in the offline billing scenario, it is reported through the offline billing URR (i.e., the second usage reporting rule).

[0073] Step S47: The Session Management Function (SMF) element returns a PFCP SessionReport Response message to the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U).

[0074] Step S48: The Session Management Function (SMF) sends a PFCP SessionModification Request message to the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U) to request modification of the PFCP session. The message carries a create URR information element to create a new URR (i.e., the second target usage reporting rule) and indicate the subsequent traffic reporting rules.

[0075] Step S49: The user plane entity UPF / PGW-U returns a PFCP SessionModification Response message to the session management function network element SMF.

[0076] Based on the scheme defined in steps S202 to S206 above, it can be understood that in this embodiment, a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by the session management function network element is received. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. Based on the PFCP session creation request message, a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method is determined, and a PFCP session creation response message is sent to the session management function network element. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method or offline billing method. The terminal's service traffic information is obtained, and the service traffic information is reported to the session management function network element according to the first target usage reporting rule. Therefore, by extending the PFCP interaction protocol field between SMF and UPF in this embodiment, the purpose of identifying the billing method is achieved, thereby solving the technical problem of terminal service interruption caused by the user plane entity's inability to distinguish the billing method in the billing scenario.

[0077] Example 2

[0078] According to an embodiment of this application, a method for generating traffic billing reports is also provided, applied to the Session Management Function (SMF) network element. Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of an optional flow metering report generation process according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the method includes at least the following steps S502-S504:

[0079] Step S502: Send a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to the user plane entity. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The user plane entity responds with a PFCP session creation response message after determining the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0080] Specifically, after receiving the PDU session establishment request message sent by the UE, the Session Management Function (SMF) then sends a PFCP session creation request message to the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U). The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target charging method of the terminal. Therefore, the UPF / PGW-U can determine the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target charging method based on the PFCP session creation request message, and return a PFCP session creation response message to the SMF to successfully establish the PFCP session.

[0081] Step S504: After receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity according to the first target usage reporting rule through the PFCP session record request message, a billing report is fed back to the user plane entity through the PFCP session record response message.

[0082] Specifically, after the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U reports the terminal's service traffic information to the session management function network element SMF according to the first target usage reporting rule through the PFCP session record request message, the session management function network element SMF can send the corresponding billing report back to the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U through the PFCP session record request message.

[0083] Optionally, the Session Management Function (SMF) can also send a PFCP session modification request message to the User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U). The PFCP session modification request message carries indication information for modifying the first target usage reporting rule. The User Plane Entity (UPF / PGW-U) modifies the first target usage reporting rule based on the usage reporting rule information group created in the PFCP session modification request message to obtain the second target usage reporting rule, and returns the second target usage reporting rule to the Session Management Function (SMF) through a PFCP session modification response message.

[0084] Based on the scheme defined in steps S502 to S504 above, it can be understood that in the embodiment, the user plane entity UPF / PGW-U identifies the billing method through the interaction protocol field and reports according to the billing rules corresponding to the billing method, so that the session management function network element SMF can quickly and accurately generate a billing report corresponding to the terminal service.

[0085] Example 3

[0086] According to an embodiment of this application, a traffic metering information reporting device for implementing the above-described traffic metering information reporting method is also provided. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an optional traffic metering information reporting device according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 6 As shown, the flow metering information reporting device includes at least a receiving module 61, a determining module 63, and a reporting module 65, wherein:

[0087] The receiving module 61 is used to receive the Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by the session management function network element. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target charging method of the terminal.

[0088] The determination module 63 is used to determine the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message, and send the PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0089] The reporting module 65 is used to obtain the terminal's service traffic information and report the service traffic information to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rules.

[0090] It should be noted that each module in the flow metering information reporting device in this application embodiment corresponds one-to-one with each implementation step of the flow metering information reporting method in embodiment 1. Since embodiment 1 has been described in detail, some details not shown in this embodiment can be referred to embodiment 1, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0091] According to an embodiment of this application, a traffic metering report generation apparatus for implementing the above-described traffic metering report generation method is also provided. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an optional traffic metering report generation device according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 7 As shown, the traffic metering report generation device includes at least a sending module 71 and a report generation module 73, wherein:

[0092] The sending module 71 is used to send a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to the user plane entity. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The user plane entity is used to respond with a PFCP session creation response message after determining the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0093] The report generation module 73 is used to send a billing report to the user plane entity via a PFCP session record response message after receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule via a PFCP session record request message.

[0094] It should be noted that each module in the traffic metering report generation device in this embodiment corresponds one-to-one with each implementation step of the traffic metering report generation method in Embodiment 2. Since Embodiment 2 has been described in detail, some details not shown in this embodiment can be referred to Embodiment 2, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0095] Example 3

[0096] According to an embodiment of this application, a non-volatile storage medium is also provided, which includes a stored program, wherein the device where the non-volatile storage medium is located executes the traffic billing information reporting method in Embodiment 1 or the traffic billing report generation method in Embodiment 2 by running the program.

[0097] Optionally, the device containing the non-volatile storage medium performs the following steps by running this program:

[0098] Step S402: Receive a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by the session management function network element. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0099] Step S404: Based on the PFCP session creation request message, determine the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method, and send the PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element;

[0100] Step S406: Obtain the terminal's service traffic information and report the service traffic information to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule.

[0101] Optionally, the device containing the non-volatile storage medium performs the following steps by running this program:

[0102] Step S502: Send a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to the user plane entity. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The user plane entity responds with a PFCP session creation response message after determining the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0103] Step S504: After receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity according to the first target usage reporting rule through the PFCP session record request message, a billing report is fed back to the user plane entity through the PFCP session record response message.

[0104] According to an embodiment of this application, a processor is also provided, which is used to run a program, wherein the program executes the traffic billing information reporting method in embodiment 1 or the traffic billing report generation method in embodiment 2 when it runs.

[0105] Optionally, the program executes the following steps during runtime:

[0106] Step S402: Receive a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by the session management function network element. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0107] Step S404: Based on the PFCP session creation request message, determine the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method, and send the PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element;

[0108] Step S406: Obtain the terminal's service traffic information and report the service traffic information to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule.

[0109] Optionally, the program executes the following steps during runtime:

[0110] Step S502: Send a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to the user plane entity. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The user plane entity responds with a PFCP session creation response message after determining the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0111] Step S504: After receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity according to the first target usage reporting rule through the PFCP session record request message, a billing report is fed back to the user plane entity through the PFCP session record response message.

[0112] According to an embodiment of this application, an electronic device is also provided, comprising: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the traffic billing information reporting method in Embodiment 1 or the traffic billing report generation method in Embodiment 2 through the computer program.

[0113] Optionally, the processor is configured to execute the following steps via a computer program:

[0114] Step S402: Receive a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by the session management function network element. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0115] Step S404: Based on the PFCP session creation request message, determine the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method, and send the PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element;

[0116] Step S406: Obtain the terminal's service traffic information and report the service traffic information to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule.

[0117] Optionally, the processor is configured to execute the following steps via a computer program:

[0118] Step S502: Send a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to the user plane entity. The PFCP session creation request message carries indication information for indicating the target billing method of the terminal. The user plane entity responds with a PFCP session creation response message after determining the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method.

[0119] Step S504: After receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity according to the first target usage reporting rule through the PFCP session record request message, a billing report is fed back to the user plane entity through the PFCP session record response message.

[0120] The sequence numbers of the embodiments in this application are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0121] In the above embodiments of this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0122] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units can be a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the displayed or discussed mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection of units or modules may be electrical or other forms.

[0123] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0124] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0125] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), portable hard drive, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0126] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A traffic charging information reporting method, characterized by, include: The system receives a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by a session management function network element. The PFCP session creation request message includes at least one protocol field for defining the target billing method of the terminal. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method. The protocol field adopts the Tag Length Value (TLV) encoding method and includes: a tag for identifying the billing method, a length for identifying the billing method, and a field value for identifying the billing method. The field value includes at least one of the following: a first value for identifying the online billing method and a second value for identifying the offline billing method. Based on the PFCP session creation request message, a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method is determined, and a PFCP session creation response message is sent to the session management function network element. The service traffic information of the terminal is obtained, and the service traffic information is reported to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Receive PFCP session creation request messages sent by the session management function network element, including: After the session management function network element receives the protocol data unit session establishment request message from the terminal, it receives the PFCP session creation request message sent by the session management function network element. The protocol fields in the PFCP session creation request message are parsed to determine the target billing method for the terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Based on the PFCP session creation request message, the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method is determined, including: When the target billing method is the online billing method, a first usage reporting rule corresponding to the online billing method is determined to be used. When the target billing method is the offline billing method, the second usage reporting rule corresponding to the offline billing method is determined to be adopted.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Obtaining the service traffic information of the terminal includes: After sending a PFCP session establishment response message to the session management function network element, and the session management function network element sending a Protocol Data Unit session establishment response message to the terminal, the service traffic information of the terminal when accessing the target service is obtained.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Reporting the service traffic information to the session management function network element according to the first target usage reporting rule includes: According to the first target usage reporting rule, the service traffic information is reported to the session management function network element through a PFCP session record request message; The network element receiving the billing report via the PFCP session record response message is the network element that performs the session management function.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, After receiving the billing report from the session management function network element via the PFCP session record response message, the method further includes: Receive a PFCP session modification request message sent by the session management function network element, wherein the PFCP session modification request message carries indication information for indicating modification of the first target usage reporting rule; Based on the usage reporting rule information tuple created in the PFCP session modification request message, the first target usage reporting rule is modified to obtain the second target usage reporting rule.

7. A method for generating a traffic metering report, characterized in that, include: A Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message is sent to the user plane entity. The PFCP session creation request message includes at least one protocol field for defining the target billing method of the terminal. The user plane entity responds with a PFCP session creation response message after determining a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method. The protocol field adopts the Tag Length Value (TLV) encoding method and includes: a tag for identifying the billing method, a length for identifying the billing method, and a field value for identifying the billing method. The field value includes at least one of the following: a first value for identifying the online billing method and a second value for identifying the offline billing method. After receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity according to the first target usage reporting rule via the PFCP session record request message, a billing report is sent back to the user plane entity via the PFCP session record response message.

8. A flow metering information reporting device, characterized in that, include: The receiving module receives a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message sent by the session management function network element. The PFCP session creation request message includes at least one of the following: a protocol field for defining the target billing method of the terminal. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method. The protocol field adopts the tag length value (TLV) encoding method and includes: a tag for identifying the billing method, a length for identifying the billing method, and a field value for identifying the billing method. The field value includes at least one of the following: a first value for identifying the online billing method and a second value for identifying the offline billing method. The determination module is used to determine the first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message, and send the PFCP session creation response message to the session management function network element; The reporting module is used to obtain the service traffic information of the terminal and report the service traffic information to the session management function network element in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule.

9. A flow metering report generation device, characterized in that, include: The sending module is used to send a Message Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session creation request message to a user plane entity. The PFCP session creation request message includes at least a protocol field for defining the target billing method of the terminal. The user plane entity is used to respond with a PFCP session creation response message after determining a first target usage reporting rule corresponding to the target billing method based on the PFCP session creation request message. The target billing method includes one of the following: online billing method and offline billing method. The protocol field adopts the Tag Length Value (TLV) encoding method and includes: a tag for identifying the billing method, a length for identifying the billing method, and a field value for identifying the billing method. The field value includes at least: a first value for identifying the online billing method and a second value for identifying the offline billing method. The report generation module is used to send a billing report back to the user plane entity via a PFCP session record response message after receiving the terminal's service traffic information reported by the user plane entity in accordance with the first target usage reporting rule via a PFCP session record request message.

10. A non-volatile storage medium, characterized in that, The non-volatile storage medium includes a stored program, wherein the device containing the non-volatile storage medium executes the traffic billing information reporting method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or the traffic billing report generation method according to claim 7 by running the program.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: A memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute, via the computer program, the traffic billing information reporting method of any one of claims 1 to 6 or the traffic billing report generation method of claim 7.

Images