Flow charging method, device and storage medium

Abstract

This application provides a traffic billing method, apparatus, and storage medium, relating to the field of communication technology, to address the problem that general technologies cannot effectively solve the problem of high cell load. The traffic billing method includes: acquiring the load status of a target cell within a preset time period; determining the activity status of a target terminal within the target cell; the activity status includes mobile and non-mobile states; and determining a traffic billing strategy for the target terminal based on the load status and activity status.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus and storage medium for traffic metering. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, mobile network traffic billing methods mainly rely on billing based on usage area, usage time, and usage quantity.

[0003] However, billing based on usage area, usage time, and usage quantity cannot effectively solve the problem of high load in residential areas. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a flow metering method, device, and storage medium to solve the problem that general technologies cannot effectively address high load in residential areas.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, a traffic billing method is provided, comprising: obtaining the load status of a target cell within a preset time period; determining the activity status of a target terminal within the target cell; the activity status includes mobile status and non-mobile status; and determining the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal based on the load status and activity status.

[0007] Optionally, the load status of the target cell within a preset time period is obtained, including: obtaining the downlink traffic, the number of Radio Resource Control (RRC) connections, and the downlink Physical Resource Module (PRB) capacity rate of the target cell within the preset time period; when the downlink traffic is greater than a first preset traffic and the number of RRC connections is greater than a first preset number, or when the downlink traffic is greater than a first preset traffic and the downlink PRB capacity rate is greater than a first preset ratio, the load status is determined to be a high load status; when the downlink traffic is less than a second preset traffic, or when the downlink PRB capacity rate is less than a second preset ratio, the load status is determined to be a low load status; when the second preset traffic is less than the first preset traffic; when the second preset ratio is less than the first preset ratio; when the downlink traffic is greater than or equal to the second preset traffic and less than or equal to the first preset traffic, the load status is determined to be a medium load status.

[0008] Optionally, determining the activity status of the target terminal within the target cell includes: determining the activity status as mobile when the number of cell handovers by the target terminal within a preset time period is greater than a preset number, and / or when the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within a preset time period belongs is greater than a preset number of cells; and determining the activity status as non-mobile when the number of cell handovers by the target terminal within a preset time period is less than or equal to a preset number, and when the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within a preset time period belongs is less than or equal to a preset number of cells.

[0009] Optionally, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined based on the load status and activity status, including: when the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is high load, sending a prompt message indicating a first billing strategy to the target terminal; in response to the indication message sent by the target terminal agreeing to the first billing strategy, determining the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal as the first billing strategy; or, in response to the indication message sent by the target terminal rejecting the first billing strategy, determining the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal as shutting down the traffic service of the target terminal.

[0010] Optionally, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined based on the load status and activity status, including: when the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is low load, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined to be the second billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy.

[0011] Optionally, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined based on the load status and activity status, including: when the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is medium load, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined to be the third billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the third billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy and greater than the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy; or, when the activity status is mobile, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined to be the third billing strategy.

[0012] In a second aspect, a traffic metering device is provided, comprising: an acquisition unit and a processing unit; the acquisition unit is used to acquire the load status of a target cell within a preset time period; the processing unit is used to determine the activity status of a target terminal within the target cell; the activity status includes a mobile state and a non-mobile state; the processing unit is further used to determine the traffic metering strategy of the target terminal based on the load status and the activity status.

[0013] Optionally, the acquisition unit is specifically used to: acquire the downlink traffic, the number of Radio Resource Control (RRC) connections, and the downlink Physical Resource Module (PRB) carrying rate of the target cell within a preset time period; when the downlink traffic is greater than a first preset traffic and the number of RRC connections is greater than a first preset number, or when the downlink traffic is greater than a first preset traffic and the downlink PRB carrying rate is greater than a first preset ratio, determine the load state as a high load state; when the downlink traffic is less than a second preset traffic, or when the downlink PRB carrying rate is less than a second preset ratio, determine the load state as a low load state; the second preset traffic is less than the first preset traffic; the second preset ratio is less than the first preset ratio; when the downlink traffic is greater than or equal to the second preset traffic and less than or equal to the first preset traffic, determine the load state as a medium load state.

[0014] Optionally, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine the activity state as mobile state when the number of cell handovers of the target terminal within a preset time period is greater than a preset number, and / or the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within a preset time period belongs is greater than a preset number of cells; and determine the activity state as non-mobile state when the number of cell handovers of the target terminal within a preset time period is less than or equal to a preset number, and the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within a preset time period belongs is less than or equal to a preset number of cells.

[0015] Optionally, the processing unit is specifically configured to: when the activity state is non-mobile and the load state is high load, send a prompt message indicating a first charging policy to the target terminal; in response to the indication message sent by the target terminal agreeing to the first charging policy, determine that the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is the first charging policy; or, in response to the indication message sent by the target terminal rejecting the first charging policy, determine that the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is to shut down the traffic service of the target terminal.

[0016] Optionally, the processing unit is specifically used to: when the activity state is non-mobile and the load state is low load, determine that the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is the second billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy.

[0017] Optionally, the processing unit is specifically configured to: when the activity state is non-mobile and the load state is medium load, determine the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal as the third billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the third billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy and greater than the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy; or, when the activity state is mobile, determine the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal as the third billing strategy.

[0018] Thirdly, a flow metering device is provided, including a memory and a processor; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, and the processor is connected to the memory via a bus; when the flow metering device is running, the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to cause the flow metering device to perform the flow metering method described in the first aspect.

[0019] The traffic metering device can be a network device or a component of a network device, such as a chip system within the network device. This chip system supports the network device in implementing the functions involved in the first aspect and any of its possible implementations, such as acquiring, determining, and transmitting the data and / or information involved in the aforementioned traffic metering method. The chip system includes a chip, but may also include other discrete devices or circuit structures.

[0020] Fourthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the traffic billing method described in the first aspect.

[0021] Fifthly, a computer program product is also provided, which includes computer instructions that, when executed on a flow metering device, cause the flow metering device to perform the flow metering method as described in the first aspect above.

[0022] It should be noted that the aforementioned computer instructions may be stored, in whole or in part, on a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium may be packaged together with the processor of the flow metering device, or it may be packaged separately from the processor of the flow metering device; this application does not limit this.

[0023] The descriptions of the second, third, fourth, and fifth aspects of this application can be referenced to the detailed description of the first aspect.

[0024] In the embodiments of this application, the name of the aforementioned flow metering device does not limit the device or functional module itself. In actual implementation, these devices or functional modules may appear under other names. For example, the receiving unit may also be called a receiving module, receiver, etc. As long as the function of each device or functional module is similar to that of this application, it falls within the scope of the claims of this application and its equivalents.

[0025] The technical solution provided in this application brings at least the following beneficial effects:

[0026] Based on any of the above, this application provides a traffic billing method that obtains the load status of a target cell within a preset time period and determines the activity status of a target terminal within the target cell. The activity status includes mobile and non-mobile states. Then, a traffic billing strategy for the target terminal can be determined based on the load status and activity status. In this way, when billing traffic for the target terminal, the load status of the target cell and the activity status of the target terminal can be fully considered, and different traffic billing strategies can be used to adjust the traffic usage behavior of the target terminal under different activity states, gradually reducing the occurrence of high load situations, improving the base station efficiency in low-load areas, and solving problems such as network lag and instability in the target cell.

[0027] The beneficial effects of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth aspects of this application can all be referred to in the analysis of the above-mentioned beneficial effects, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of a traffic metering method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a flow metering device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 1 ;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a flow metering device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 2 ;

[0031] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a traffic metering method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 1 ;

[0032] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a traffic metering method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 2 ;

[0033] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a traffic metering method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 3 ;

[0034] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a traffic metering method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 4 ;

[0035] Figure 8 This application provides an example of a page display for displaying prompt information. Figure 1 ;

[0036] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a quota authorization setting page display provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a pop-up page display provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 11 This application provides an example of a page display for displaying prompt information. Figure 2 ;

[0039] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a traffic metering method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 5 ;

[0040] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flow metering device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0042] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0043] To facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish the same or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art can understand that the terms "first" and "second" are not intended to limit the quantity or execution order.

[0044] With the rapid development of the 5G era, wireless communication networks have provided a "high-speed channel" for various mobile internet services. As various terminals become more widespread, users' demand for internet access is increasing, their online time is getting longer, and data usage is growing exponentially.

[0045] Currently, most users' devices typically use high-data plans, and they mostly use mobile data for internet access in their daily lives. Because these devices are located in different areas, the base station load varies from cell to cell.

[0046] For example, in areas such as science parks, prolonged high load can lead to network lag and instability, severely impacting the user experience of their devices. Simply increasing the number of base stations can only address the growing user demand in the short term. Therefore, optimizing user data usage habits through billing differences and improving base station performance in low-load areas is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

[0047] Currently, the billing methods commonly used by various operators are mainly based on usage area (such as campus traffic), usage time (such as off-peak traffic), and usage quantity (such as data within the package and data exceeding the package). There are no significant differences in other aspects of billing, and the load conditions of each community are not taken into account, which cannot solve the problems of network lag and instability.

[0048] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a traffic billing method that can acquire the load status of a target cell within a preset time period and determine the activity status of a target terminal within the target cell. The activity status includes both mobile and non-mobile states. Then, based on the load status and activity status, a traffic billing strategy for the target terminal can be determined. In this way, when billing traffic for the target terminal, the load status of the target cell and the activity status of the target terminal can be fully considered. Different traffic billing strategies can be used to adjust the traffic usage behavior of the target terminal under different activity states, gradually reducing the occurrence of high load situations, improving the base station efficiency in low-load areas, and resolving issues such as network lag and instability in the target cell.

[0049] This flow metering method is applicable to flow metering systems. Figure 1 One structure of the flow metering system is shown. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the traffic metering system includes: electronic device 101, multiple access network devices 102 and network management device 103.

[0050] The electronic device 101 is communicatively connected to the network management device 103. The network management device 103 is communicatively connected to multiple access network devices 102.

[0051] In practical applications, electronic device 101 can connect to any number of network management devices. For ease of understanding, Figure 1 The following example illustrates the connection between an electronic device 101 and a network management device 103. The network management device 103 can connect to any number of access network devices. For ease of understanding, Figure 1 The following is an example of a network management device 103 connecting two access network devices 102.

[0052] Optionally, the physical device of electronic device 101 can be a server, a terminal, or other types of electronic devices, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0053] Optionally, the aforementioned terminal may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. The wireless terminal may communicate with one or more core networks via a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal may be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal, or a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with the radio access network, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, netbook, or personal digital assistant (PDA).

[0054] The physical device of network management device 103 can be a network management server or a network management platform.

[0055] Optionally, the server mentioned above can be one of the servers in a server cluster (composed of multiple servers), a chip in the server, a system-on-a-chip in the server, or a virtual machine (VM) deployed on a physical machine. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0056] Optionally, the aforementioned access network device 102 may be a wireless communication base station or base station controller, etc. In this embodiment, the base station may be a base station (BTS) in Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a base station (node ​​B) in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), an eNB in ​​Internet of Things (IoT) or Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT), a base station in a future 5G mobile communication network, or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). This embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0057] The basic hardware structure of electronic device 101 includes Figure 2 or Figure 3 The flow metering device shown includes the following components. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Taking the flow metering device shown as an example, the hardware structure of electronic device 101 is introduced.

[0058] like Figure 2 The diagram shown is a hardware structure schematic of a traffic metering device provided in an embodiment of this application. The traffic metering device includes a processor 21, a memory 22, a communication interface 23, and a bus 24. The processor 21, memory 22, and communication interface 23 are connected via the bus 24.

[0059] Processor 21 is the control center of the flow metering device. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, processor 21 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU) or other general-purpose processors. Among them, the general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0060] As one embodiment, processor 21 may include one or more CPUs, for example Figure 2 CPU 0 and CPU 1 are shown in the diagram.

[0061] The memory 22 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the memory 22 can exist independently of the processor 21. The memory 22 can be connected to the processor 21 via a bus 24 and is used to store instructions or program code. When the processor 21 calls and executes the instructions or program code stored in the memory 22, it can implement the traffic billing method provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0063] In this embodiment, the software programs stored in the memory 22 of the electronic device 101 are different, so the functions implemented by the electronic device 101 are different. The functions performed by each device will be described with reference to the following flowchart.

[0064] In another possible implementation, the memory 22 can also be integrated with the processor 21.

[0065] Communication interface 23 is used for the flow metering device to connect with other devices via a communication network, such as Ethernet, wireless access network, or wireless local area network (WLAN). Communication interface 23 may include a receiving unit for receiving data and a sending unit for sending data.

[0066] Bus 24 can be an industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 2 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0067] Figure 3 Another hardware structure of the flow metering device in an embodiment of this application is shown. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the flow metering device may include a processor 31 and a communication interface 32. The processor 31 is coupled to the communication interface 32.

[0068] The functions of processor 31 can be referred to in the description of processor 21 above. In addition, processor 31 also has a storage function, and can perform the functions of memory 22 mentioned above.

[0069] The communication interface 32 is used to provide data to the processor 31. The communication interface 32 can be an internal interface of the flow metering device, or it can be an external interface of the flow metering device (equivalent to communication interface 23).

[0070] It should be pointed out that, Figure 2 (or Figure 3 The structure shown in the diagram does not constitute a limitation on the flow metering device, except... Figure 2 (or Figure 3 In addition to the components shown in the diagram, the flow metering device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0071] The flow metering method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0072] The flow metering method provided in this application embodiment is applied to Figure 1 The electronic device 101 in the flow metering system shown is, for example Figure 4 As shown, the traffic billing method provided in this application includes:

[0073] S401. The electronic device acquires the load status of the target cell within a preset time period.

[0074] Specifically, in order to prevent the common traffic billing method from failing to adequately address the issue of high cell load, electronic devices can obtain the load status of the target cell to which the target terminal belongs within a preset time period when determining the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal.

[0075] In one possible approach, the electronic device can acquire the downlink traffic, Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection count, and downlink Physical Resource Block (PRB) load rate of the target cell within a preset time period, and determine the load status of the target cell within the preset time period based on the acquired downlink traffic, RRC connection count, and downlink PRB load rate.

[0076] In another possible implementation, the electronic device can acquire the downlink traffic, RRC connection count, and downlink PRB capacity of the target cell during a historical time period prior to a preset time period, and determine the load status of the target cell during that historical time period based on these parameters. Then, the electronic device can predict the load status of the target cell during the preset time period based on the load status of the target cell during the historical time period.

[0077] For example, electronic devices can obtain data from network management devices regarding the traffic usage and base station load (i.e., downlink traffic, RRC connection count, and downlink PRB capacity) of base stations managed by the network management device within the service area for the previous seven days. Then, based on the traffic usage and base station load data for the previous seven days, the electronic devices can predict the hourly base station load (i.e., load status) from 00:00 to 24:00 on the current day, thereby enabling the tagging of target cells, that is, classifying target cells into different load statuses.

[0078] S402. The electronic device determines the activity status of the target terminal within the target cell.

[0079] The activity status includes the moving status and the non-moving status.

[0080] Specifically, since the activity status of the target terminal may also affect the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal, in order to more accurately determine the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal, the electronic device can determine the activity status of the target terminal in the target cell.

[0081] In one possible implementation, the electronic device can read the target terminal traffic packets and obtain from the traffic packets whether the number of cell handovers of the target terminal within a preset time period is greater than a preset number, and / or whether the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within the preset time period is greater than a preset number of cells, and determine the activity status of the target terminal in the target cell based on the number of cell handovers and / or the number of cells to which the traffic uses traffic.

[0082] In another possible approach, the electronic device can acquire the target terminal's movement rate within a preset time period and determine the target terminal's activity status within the target cell based on the movement rate.

[0083] S403. The electronic device determines the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal based on the load status and activity status.

[0084] Specifically, after obtaining the load status of the target cell within a preset time period, the electronic device can classify the target cell into high-load, medium-load, and low-load cells based on the load status. Then, after determining the activity status of the target terminal within the target cell, the electronic device can determine the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal in different activity statuses within different load cells. This allows for three traffic billing strategies corresponding to high, medium, and low load conditions, adjusting the traffic usage behavior of the target terminal in non-mobile states, gradually reducing the occurrence of high-load situations, and improving the base station efficiency in low-load areas.

[0085] In one feasible way, combining Figure 4 ,like Figure 5 As shown, in S401 above, the method for the electronic device to obtain the load status of the target cell within a preset time period specifically includes:

[0086] S501. Electronic devices acquire downlink traffic, RRC connection count, and downlink PRB carrying capacity of the target cell within a preset time period.

[0087] In one feasible approach, electronic devices can directly obtain the number of RRC connections and downlink PRB carrying capacity from the network management device.

[0088] In one feasible approach, the electronic device can determine the downlink traffic f of the target cell within a preset time period according to the following formula. d :

[0089]

[0090] Where i represents the number of days, j represents the base station, and x represents the number of days. i,j Used to represent the downlink traffic of the j-th base station on day i, where 1 ≤ n ≤ 7, and j ≤ the number of base stations in the cell.

[0091] S502. When the downlink traffic is greater than the first preset traffic and the number of RRC connections is greater than the first preset number, or when the downlink traffic is greater than the first preset traffic and the downlink PRB carrying rate is greater than the first preset ratio, the electronic device determines the load state as a high load state.

[0092] S503 When the downlink flow rate is less than the second preset flow rate, or the downlink PRB load rate is less than the second preset ratio, the electronic equipment determines the load state as a low load state.

[0093] The second preset flow rate is less than the first preset flow rate. The second preset ratio is less than the first preset ratio.

[0094] S504 When the downstream flow rate is greater than or equal to the second preset flow rate and less than or equal to the first preset flow rate, the electronic device determines the load state as medium load state.

[0095] For example, assuming downlink traffic ≥ 8GB and the number of RRC connections is greater than 160, or downlink traffic ≥ 8GB and downlink PRB load factor is higher than 80%, the electronic device determines the load status of the target cell as a high load state.

[0096] If the downlink traffic is ≤4GB or the load factor is less than 30%, the electronic equipment determines the load status of the target cell as low load.

[0097] Assuming downlink traffic is 4GB or less and downlink traffic is 8GB or less, the electronic device determines the load status of the target cell as medium load.

[0098] For example, when there are multiple target cells, Table 1 shows the load status of some cells determined by the electronic device at different time periods.

[0099] Table 1

[0100] FT001 high high middle Low Low …… middle high FT002 high middle middle Low Low …… Low Low NS001 high middle Low Low Low …… high high …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… BA013 middle middle middle Low Low …… middle high

[0101] In one feasible way, combining Figure 5 ,like Figure 6 As shown, in S402 above, the method by which the electronic device determines the activity status of the target terminal within the target cell specifically includes:

[0102] S601. When the number of cell handovers by the target terminal within a preset time period is greater than the preset number, and / or the number of cells to which the target terminal belongs for using traffic within a preset time period is greater than the preset number of cells, the electronic device determines the activity state as mobile state.

[0103] S602. When the number of cell handovers of the target terminal within a preset time period is less than or equal to the preset number, and the number of cells to which the target terminal belongs for using traffic within the preset time period is less than or equal to the preset number of cells, the electronic device determines the activity state as non-mobile state.

[0104] For example, assuming a preset number of attempts is 3 and a preset number of cells is 2, the electronic device can determine the target terminal's activity state as mobile when the following formula is satisfied:

[0105] if HO cell ≥2&S cell >2&T≤Kmin;

[0106] Among them HO cell S represents the number of cell handovers (also known as reconfiguration counts) performed by the target terminal within a preset time period. cell This indicates the number of cells to which the target terminal belongs when using traffic within a preset time period, where T represents the preset time period. That is, if the target terminal performs at least two cell handovers within K minutes and uses traffic belonging to more than two cells, then the target terminal's activity state is determined to be mobile.

[0107] Specifically, when HO cell When ≥2, the electronic device can obtain the number S of cells to which the target terminal belongs during the preset time period when using traffic. cell .

[0108] If S cell If the value is ≤2, the electronic device can determine that the target terminal may be active at the intersection of two small intervals. In this case, the electronic device still determines the target terminal's activity state as non-moving.

[0109] If S cell If the value is greater than 2, then the target terminal's activity state is determined to be mobile.

[0110] Correspondingly, when HO cell When the value is ≤1, the electronic device determines that the target terminal's activity state is a non-mobile state.

[0111] In one feasible way, combining Figure 6 ,like Figure 7 As shown, in S403 above, the method by which the electronic device determines the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal based on the load status and activity status specifically includes:

[0112] S701. When the activity state is non-mobile and the load state is high load, the electronic device sends a prompt message to the target terminal to indicate the first charging strategy.

[0113] Specifically, when the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is high, the electronic device can send a prompt message to the target terminal indicating the first charging strategy.

[0114] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the content used to indicate the first charging policy prompt may include: You have now entered a high-load area, and mobile data will be charged at 0.* yuan / MB. Please confirm whether you want to continue using it.

[0115] Optionally, the above prompt may also include a "Continue to use" control and a "Turn off traffic" control.

[0116] S702, the electronic device responds to the instruction information sent by the target terminal agreeing to the first charging strategy and determines that the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal is the first charging strategy.

[0117] Specifically, when the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is high, the electronic device needs to obtain the authorization information of the target terminal to determine whether the target terminal has been pre-authorized with the quota.

[0118] That is, upon receiving a prompt message indicating the first charging policy, the target terminal can display the prompt message. Then, the user can agree to the first charging policy. Correspondingly, in response to the user's agreement to the first charging policy, the target terminal sends an instruction message agreeing to the first charging policy to the electronic device. In response to the instruction message agreeing to the first charging policy sent by the target terminal, the electronic device determines that the target terminal's traffic billing policy is the first charging policy.

[0119] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the user can trigger an action on the "Continue Using" control. Correspondingly, the target terminal, in response to the user's trigger action on the "Continue Using" control, displays the usage quota settings page. The usage quota settings page includes: Please set your usage quota.

[0120] Users can set their usage limits according to their needs. After setting, the target terminal can respond to the user's settings by sending an instruction to the electronic device indicating agreement to the first charging policy. The electronic device, in response to the instruction from the target terminal agreeing to the first charging policy, determines that the target terminal's traffic billing policy is the first charging policy.

[0121] As another example, users can also pre-set whether they agree to the first-tier charging policy on the target terminal. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the target terminal's data usage limit settings page includes: high data usage switch, high data usage limit, mobile network shutdown when exceeding the limit, and a note about mobile network shutdown when exceeding the limit: If the switch is turned on, the mobile network will be automatically shut down when the preset limit is exceeded; if it is turned off, manual authorization will be required to reset the limit.

[0122] Optionally, the above-mentioned quota authorization settings page may also include a "Save" control and a "Close" control.

[0123] Assuming the user has preset a high-load area usage limit and the usage switch is turned on, the electronic device will determine that the target terminal is within the limit and will be charged according to the high-data-rate price.

[0124] Combination Figure 9 Assuming the high-traffic billing rule is 0.5 yuan / MB, and the user sets a high-load data usage limit of 10 yuan, when the user's high-load data usage reaches the set limit (10 / 0.5 = 20MB), the system checks the user's "Disable Mobile Network When Exceeding Limit" switch status. If it's on, mobile network usage is disabled; if it's off, the system switches to manual authorization mode, displays a pop-up message informing the user that the limit has been reached, and resets the limit.

[0125] The pop-up window that prompts users to have reached their spending limit is as follows: Figure 10 As shown, the pop-up window may contain the message: Your data usage has exceeded the limit. Please confirm whether you wish to continue using it.

[0126] Optionally, the pop-up window may also include a "Continue to use" control and a "Turn off traffic" control.

[0127] When a user wants to continue using data, they can trigger an action on the "Continue Using" control. Correspondingly, the target terminal displays the data usage settings page in response to the user's action on the "Continue Using" control. The data usage settings page includes: Please set your data usage limit.

[0128] Correspondingly, assuming the user has not authorized a usage limit, the target terminal can display a pop-up window prompting the user to grant manual authorization for high data usage. If the user accepts the high data usage rule, the user can manually set their usage limit; if they choose not to accept, mobile network access will be disabled.

[0129] When the target device determines that the current data usage has reached the preset limit, a pop-up window can be displayed prompting the user to reset the limit. Based on the user's reset limit, the user can then decide whether to continue high data usage billing or disable mobile data usage.

[0130] S703. In response to the instruction information sent by the target terminal to reject the first charging policy, the electronic device determines that the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is to shut down the traffic service of the target terminal.

[0131] Specifically, users can also reject the first charging policy. Correspondingly, the target terminal, in response to the user's rejection of the first charging policy, sends a rejection instruction to the electronic device. The electronic device, in response to the rejection instruction from the target terminal, determines that the target terminal's traffic billing policy is to disable its data traffic service.

[0132] For example, in combination Figure 8 Users can trigger an action on the "Turn off data traffic" control. Correspondingly, the target terminal responds to the user's trigger action on the "Turn off data traffic" control by turning off its data traffic service.

[0133] S704. When the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is low load, the electronic device determines that the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is the second charging strategy.

[0134] The fee for the second charging strategy is less than the fee for the first charging strategy.

[0135] Specifically, when the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is low, the electronic device can send a prompt message to the target terminal indicating the second charging strategy.

[0136] For example, such as Figure 11 As shown, the content used to indicate the second charging policy prompt may include: You have now entered a low-load area, and mobile data will be charged at 0.* yuan / MB. Please be aware of this when using it.

[0137] Optionally, the above prompt may also include an "OK" control.

[0138] S705. When the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is medium load, the electronic device determines that the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is the third charging strategy.

[0139] The fee for the third charging strategy is less than the fee for the first charging strategy, but greater than the fee for the second charging strategy.

[0140] Specifically, when the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is medium load, the electronic device can determine that the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is the third billing strategy, that is, the traffic of the target terminal is billed according to the normal billing strategy.

[0141] S706. When the activity status is mobile, the electronic device determines that the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal is the third billing strategy.

[0142] Specifically, when the activity status is mobile, the electronic device can determine that the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal is the third billing strategy, that is, the traffic of the target terminal is billed according to the normal billing strategy.

[0143] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating yet another traffic billing method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 12 As shown, this flow metering method specifically includes:

[0144] S1201, Predict the daily and hourly load of the community.

[0145] S1202, Read traffic packets.

[0146] S1203. Determine if the terminal is moving. If yes, proceed to S1204; otherwise, proceed to S1205.

[0147] S1204, Normal price billing.

[0148] S1205. Determine if the terminal cell is under high load. If yes, proceed to S1207; otherwise, proceed to S1206.

[0149] S1206. Determine if the terminal cell is under low load. If yes, proceed to S1208; otherwise, proceed to S1209.

[0150] S1207. Determine if the terminal has a preset limit. If yes, proceed to S1210; otherwise, proceed to S1211.

[0151] S1208, pop-up window prompts low load area.

[0152] S1209, Normal price billing.

[0153] S1210. Charges are based on the set usage limit.

[0154] S1211, pop-up window prompts for high load traffic unit price.

[0155] S1212. Determine whether the terminal accepts the request. If yes, proceed to S1213; otherwise, proceed to S1214.

[0156] S1213. Set the usage limit.

[0157] S1214, Turn off traffic.

[0158] S1215. Determine if the flow rate has reached the preset value. If yes, execute S1216; otherwise, execute S1218.

[0159] S1216, A pop-up window prompts you to reset your credit limit.

[0160] S1217. Determine whether to reset. If yes, execute S1210; otherwise, execute S1214.

[0161] S1218, High-price billing.

[0162] S1219, Low-price billing.

[0163] The foregoing mainly describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of this application from a methodological perspective. To achieve the above functions, it includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0164] This application embodiment can divide the flow metering device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. Optionally, the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0165] like Figure 13 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a flow metering device provided in an embodiment of this application. This flow metering device can be used to perform... Figures 4-7 The method of billing based on flow rate is shown. Figure 13 The flow metering device shown includes: an acquisition unit 1301 and a processing unit 1302;

[0166] Acquisition unit 1301 is used to acquire the load status of the target cell within a preset time period;

[0167] Processing unit 1302 is used to determine the activity status of the target terminal in the target cell; the activity status includes a mobile state and a non-mobile state;

[0168] The processing unit 1302 is also used to determine the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal based on the load status and activity status.

[0169] Optionally, the acquisition unit 1301 is specifically used for:

[0170] Obtain the downlink traffic, number of Radio Resource Control (RRC) connections, and downlink Physical Resource Module (PRB) carrying rate of the target cell within a preset time period;

[0171] When the downlink traffic is greater than the first preset traffic and the number of RRC connections is greater than the first preset number, or when the downlink traffic is greater than the first preset traffic and the downlink PRB carrying capacity is greater than the first preset ratio, the load state is determined to be a high load state.

[0172] When the downlink flow rate is less than the second preset flow rate, or the downlink PRB capacity ratio is less than the second preset ratio, the load state is determined to be a low load state; the second preset flow rate is less than the first preset flow rate; the second preset ratio is less than the first preset ratio.

[0173] When the downlink flow is greater than or equal to the second preset flow and less than or equal to the first preset flow, the load status is determined to be medium load status.

[0174] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is specifically used for:

[0175] When the number of cell handovers by the target terminal within a preset time period is greater than the preset number, and / or the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within a preset time period belongs is greater than the preset number of cells, the activity status is determined to be mobile status.

[0176] When the number of cell handovers of the target terminal within a preset time period is less than or equal to the preset number, and the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within the preset time period belongs is less than or equal to the preset number of cells, the activity status is determined to be non-mobile status.

[0177] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is specifically used for:

[0178] When the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is high load, a prompt message indicating the first charging strategy is sent to the target terminal.

[0179] In response to the indication sent by the target terminal agreeing to the first charging policy, the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is determined to be the first charging policy;

[0180] Alternatively, in response to the indication sent by the target terminal to reject the first charging policy, the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is determined to be to shut down the traffic service of the target terminal.

[0181] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is specifically used for:

[0182] When the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is low, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined to be the second billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy.

[0183] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is specifically used for:

[0184] When the activity status is non-mobile and the load status is medium load, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined to be the third billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the third billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy, but greater than the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy.

[0185] Alternatively, when the activity status is mobile, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined to be the third billing strategy.

[0186] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the traffic billing method provided in the above embodiments.

[0187] This application also provides a computer program that can be directly loaded into a memory and contains software code. After being loaded and executed by a computer, the computer program can implement the traffic billing method provided in the above embodiments.

[0188] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples above, the functions described in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer-readable storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0189] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0190] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and other division methods may exist in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the shown or discussed mutual couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms. Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple different places. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0191] 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. 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 readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiments 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 software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0192] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for billing based on data flow, characterized in that, include: Obtain the load status of the target cell within a preset time period; Determine the activity status of the target terminal within the target cell; The activity states include moving states and non-moving states; The traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined based on the load status and the activity status. The process of obtaining the load status of the target cell within a preset time period includes: Obtain the downlink traffic, number of Radio Resource Control (RRC) connections, and downlink Physical Resource Module (PRB) bearer rate of the target cell within the preset time period; When the downlink traffic is greater than a first preset traffic and the number of RRC connections is greater than a first preset number, or when the downlink traffic is greater than the first preset traffic and the downlink PRB carrying rate is greater than a first preset ratio, the load state is determined to be a high load state. When the downlink flow rate is less than the second preset flow rate, or the downlink PRB capacity ratio is less than the second preset ratio, the load state is determined to be a low load state; the second preset flow rate is less than the first preset flow rate; the second preset ratio is less than the first preset ratio; When the downlink flow is greater than or equal to the second preset flow and less than or equal to the first preset flow, the load state is determined to be a medium load state. Determining the activity status of the target terminal within the target cell includes: When the number of cell handovers by the target terminal within the preset time period is greater than the preset number, and / or the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within the preset time period belongs is greater than the preset number of cells, the activity state is determined to be the mobile state; When the number of cell handovers by the target terminal within the preset time period is less than or equal to the preset number, and the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within the preset time period belongs is less than or equal to the preset number of cells, the activity state is determined to be the non-mobile state. The step of determining the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal based on the load status and the activity status includes: When the activity state is the non-mobile state and the load state is the high load state, a prompt message indicating the first charging strategy is sent to the target terminal; In response to the indication information sent by the target terminal agreeing to the first charging policy, the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is determined to be the first charging policy; Alternatively, in response to the indication information sent by the target terminal to reject the first charging policy, the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is determined to be to disable the traffic service of the target terminal.

2. The flow metering method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal based on the load status and the activity status includes: When the activity state is the non-mobile state and the load state is the low load state, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined to be the second billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy.

3. The flow metering method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal based on the load status and the activity status includes: When the activity state is the non-mobile state and the load state is the medium load state, the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal is determined to be the third billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the third billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy, and greater than the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy. Alternatively, when the activity state is the mobile state, the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal is determined to be the third billing strategy.

4. A flow metering device, characterized in that, include: Acquisition unit and processing unit; The acquisition unit is used to acquire the load status of the target cell within a preset time period; The processing unit is used to determine the activity status of the target terminal within the target cell; the activity status includes a mobile state and a non-mobile state. The processing unit is further configured to determine the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal based on the load status and the activity status. The acquisition unit is specifically used for: Obtain the downlink traffic, number of Radio Resource Control (RRC) connections, and downlink Physical Resource Module (PRB) bearer rate of the target cell within the preset time period; When the downlink traffic is greater than a first preset traffic and the number of RRC connections is greater than a first preset number, or when the downlink traffic is greater than the first preset traffic and the downlink PRB carrying rate is greater than a first preset ratio, the load state is determined to be a high load state. When the downlink flow rate is less than the second preset flow rate, or the downlink PRB carrying capacity is less than the second preset ratio, the load state is determined to be a low load state. The second preset flow rate is less than the first preset flow rate; The second preset ratio is less than the first preset ratio; When the downlink flow is greater than or equal to the second preset flow and less than or equal to the first preset flow, the load state is determined to be a medium load state. The processing unit is specifically used for: When the number of cell handovers by the target terminal within the preset time period is greater than the preset number, and / or the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within the preset time period belongs is greater than the preset number of cells, the activity state is determined to be the mobile state; When the number of cell handovers by the target terminal within the preset time period is less than or equal to the preset number, and the number of cells to which the target terminal uses traffic within the preset time period belongs is less than or equal to the preset number of cells, the activity state is determined to be the non-mobile state. The processing unit is specifically used for: When the activity state is the non-mobile state and the load state is the high load state, a prompt message indicating the first charging strategy is sent to the target terminal; In response to the indication information sent by the target terminal agreeing to the first charging policy, the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is determined to be the first charging policy; Alternatively, in response to the indication information sent by the target terminal to reject the first charging policy, the traffic billing policy of the target terminal is determined to be to disable the traffic service of the target terminal.

5. The flow metering device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The processing unit is specifically used for: When the activity state is the non-mobile state and the load state is the low load state, the traffic billing strategy for the target terminal is determined to be the second billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy.

6. The flow metering device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The processing unit is specifically used for: When the activity state is the non-mobile state and the load state is the medium load state, the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal is determined to be the third billing strategy; the billing amount corresponding to the third billing strategy is less than the billing amount corresponding to the first billing strategy, and greater than the billing amount corresponding to the second billing strategy. Alternatively, when the activity state is the mobile state, the traffic billing strategy of the target terminal is determined to be the third billing strategy.

7. A flow metering device, characterized in that, It includes a memory and a processor; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, and the processor is connected to the memory via a bus; when the traffic metering device is running, the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to cause the traffic metering device to perform the traffic metering method as described in any one of claims 1-3.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the traffic billing method as described in any one of claims 1-3.

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