Dosage information reporting method and device and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a usage information reporting method and device and a storage medium, and the method comprises the steps: a user plane function network element receives a switching time point which is transmitted by a session management function network element and is used for indicating session rate switching, and the user plane function network element sets a reporting time point, used for reporting the usage information, of each session according to the switching time point, wherein the reporting time point is a discrete time point, and if the current time point reaches the switching time point of session rate switching, the usage information of each session is reported to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session. Through application of the method and the device, the high load of the session management function network element is avoided, the normal processing and accurate transmission of the message are realized, and the correct statistics of the user traffic by an operator is further ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and storage medium for reporting usage information. Background Art

[0002] In the 5G core network, the 3GPP protocol supports the user plane function network element to report to the session management function network element through N4 at the rate switching point, so as to support two charging rates before and after the rate switching point in 5G or the call detail record splitting before and after the rate switching point.

[0003] In the prior art, usually when the current time reaches the rate switching point, the user plane function network element reports the usage information of all sessions at this moment of the rate switching point. This will instantly generate a large number of packet storms between the user plane function network element and the session management function network element, causing packet congestion at the N4 interface and the load of the session management function network element to soar, and unable to ensure the reliability of packet transmission. For example, it may cause packet loss, thereby affecting the operator's statistics on user traffic. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a method, apparatus, and storage medium for reporting usage information, so as to at least solve the problem that the load of the session management function network element soars in the related art, resulting in packet loss.

[0005] According to an embodiment of this application, a method for reporting usage information is provided, which is applied to the user plane function network element in a network device. The method includes:

[0006] Receiving a switching time point sent by the session management function network element for indicating session rate switching;

[0007] According to the switching time point, setting a reporting time point for each session to report usage information, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point;

[0008] If the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switching, reporting the usage information of each session to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0009] Optionally, the setting the reporting time point for each session to report usage information includes:

[0010] Setting the reporting time points of each session to evenly spaced time points.

[0011] Optionally, the setting the reporting time points of each session to evenly spaced time points includes:

[0012] Based on the identification serial number of each session, calculating the delay time of each session reporting usage information relative to the switching time point;

[0013] The time point obtained by adding the switching time point and the delay time is used as the reporting time point of the session.

[0014] Optionally, calculating the delay time of each session reporting usage information relative to the switching time point based on the identification serial number of each session includes:

[0015] Determine the total duration for all sessions to complete reporting of usage information;

[0016] Calculate the delay time of each session reporting usage information based on the identification serial number and the total duration.

[0017] Optionally, reporting the usage information of each session to the session management function network element according to the reporting time point includes:

[0018] Generate the first usage information of each session before the rate switch;

[0019] Generate the second usage information of each session after the rate switch and before the reporting time point of the session;

[0020] Report the first usage information and the second usage information of each session to the session management function network element.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present application, a method for reporting usage information is provided, which is applied to a session management function network element in a network device. The method includes:

[0022] Send a switching time point for indicating session rate switching to the user plane function network element, so that the user plane function network element sets a reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the switching time point, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point;

[0023] If the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switching, receive the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0024] Optionally, after receiving the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session, the method further includes:

[0025] Send the usage information of each session to the charging function network element.

[0026] According to another embodiment of the present application, a device for reporting usage information is provided, including:

[0027] A receiving module, configured to receive a switching time point for indicating session rate switching sent by a session management function network element;

[0028] A setting module, configured to set a reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the switching time point, wherein the reporting time point is a discrete time point.

[0029] A reporting module, configured to, if the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switching, report the usage information of each session to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0030] According to another embodiment of the present application, there is provided a usage information reporting device, including:

[0031] A sending module, configured to send a switching time point for indicating session rate switching to the user plane function network element, so that the user plane function network element sets a reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the switching time point, wherein the reporting time point is a discrete time point.

[0032] A receiving module, configured to, if the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switching, receive the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0033] According to still another embodiment of the present application, there is further provided a storage medium, in which a computer program is stored, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the steps in any one of the above method embodiments when running.

[0034] According to still another embodiment of the present application, there is further provided an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the steps in any one of the above method embodiments.

[0035] Through the present application, since the reporting time point is a discrete time point, when the current time point reaches the rate switching time point, the usage information of the session will not be reported simultaneously at the moment of the rate switching point, but the usage information of the session will be reported smoothly after the rate switching point, avoiding the N4 interface message storm, avoiding the overload of the session management function network element, preventing the session management function network element from discarding messages, realizing the normal processing and accurate transmission of messages, and thus ensuring the correct statistics of the user traffic by the operator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions thereof of the present application are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present application. In the drawings:

[0037] Figure 1It is a hardware structure block diagram of the network device of the present application;

[0038] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of the usage information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 3 It is a flowchart of the usage information reporting method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 4 It is a structure block diagram of the usage information reporting device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 5 It is a structure block diagram of the usage information reporting device according to another embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0042] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with embodiments. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0043] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily need to be used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0044] Embodiment 1

[0045] The embodiment of the usage information reporting method provided by the first embodiment of the present application can be executed in a network device, a computer terminal or a similar computing device. Taking running on a network device as an example, Figure 1 It is a hardware structure block diagram of the network device according to an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the network device 10 may include one or more ( Figure 1 only one is shown in the figure) processors 102 (the processor 102 may include, but is not limited to, a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA) and a memory 104 for storing data. Optionally, the above-mentioned network device may further include a transmission device 106 for communication functions and an input / output device 108. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that, Figure 1 the structure shown in Figure 1 is only schematic, and it does not limit the structure of the above-mentioned network device. For example, the network device 10 may further include more or fewer components than Figure 1 shown in the figure, or have a different configuration from

[0046] The memory 104 can be used to store computer programs, for example, software programs and modules of application software, such as the computer program corresponding to the usage information reporting method in the embodiments of the present application. The processor 102 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer programs stored in the memory 104, that is, the above-mentioned method is implemented. The memory 104 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memories, or other non-volatile solid-state memories. In some instances, the memory 104 may further include a memory remotely disposed relative to the processor 102, and these remote memories can be connected to the network device 10 through a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include but are not limited to the Internet, an enterprise intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0047] The transmission device 106 is used to receive or send data via a network. Specific examples of the above-mentioned network may include a wireless network provided by a communication provider of the network device 10. In one instance, the transmission device 106 includes a network adapter (Network Interface Controller, abbreviated as NIC), which can be connected to other network devices through a base station and thus can communicate with the Internet. In one instance, the transmission device 106 can be a radio frequency (RF) module, which is used to communicate with the Internet wirelessly.

[0048] In this embodiment, a usage information reporting method running on the above-mentioned network device is provided. This method is applied to a User Plane Function (UPF) network element. Figure 2 It is a flowchart of the usage information reporting method according to the embodiments of the present application, as Figure 2 shown. The process includes the following steps:

[0049] Step S201, receive a handover time point sent by a session management function network element for indicating session rate handover;

[0050] Step S202, set a reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the handover time point, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point;

[0051] Step S203, if the current time point reaches the handover time point of the session rate handover, report the usage information of each session to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0052] Both the user plane function network element and the Session Management Function (SMF) network element are important network elements in the 5G core network. The user plane function network element is responsible for processing the transmission and forwarding of user data, and the session management function network element is responsible for managing user sessions and data transmission. The session management function network element is connected to the user plane function network element through the N4 interface. N4 is an interface identifier in the 5G core network, which is used to connect the communication between the user plane function network element and the session management function network element. Among them, the 5G core network also includes a charging function network element.

[0053] In this embodiment, the session management function network element, the user plane function network element, and the charging function network element can form a charging system, which is used to perform flow-based charging on the Internet access behavior of the User Equipment (UE). It can be understood that the 5G core network can be set on a network device.

[0054] When the session management function network element is connected to multiple user plane function network elements and performs flow-based charging, all sessions accessed on the user plane function network element need to report the traffic before the rate switch at the rate switch point. When all sessions on multiple user plane function network elements reach the rate switch point at the same time, it will cause all sessions of the user plane function network element to send the usage information before the rate switch to the session management function network element at the same time, resulting in congestion of the N4 interface messages and a sharp increase in the load of the session management function network element, unable to ensure the reliability of message transmission, and may cause the loss of messages, affecting the operator's statistics of user traffic. For this reason, when all sessions on the user plane function network element in this embodiment reach the rate switch point, the usage information of the sessions is not reported simultaneously at this moment of the rate switch point, but is smoothly reported within a period of time after the rate switch point, avoiding the N4 interface message storm and the sharp increase in the load of the session management function network element, and reporting the usage information within the processing capacity range of the session management function network element to achieve the normal processing and accurate transmission of messages.

[0055] Specifically, the session management function network element indicates the time point of rate switch in the Usage report rule (URR) of the session usage report in the user plane function network element through the N4 signaling. For example, the session management function network element indicates that the switching time point of the rate switch is 00:00:00 on September 1, 2023.

[0056] The user plane function network element sets the reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the handover time point indicated by the session management function network element. The reporting time point is a discrete time point after the rate handover time point, so that after the current time point reaches the rate handover time point, the reporting time points for sessions to report usage information will not be concentrated at the same time point. For example, assume that the actual number of sessions of the current thread is 200. Set the reporting time point for the first session to report usage information to 00:00:01 seconds at the handover time point, the reporting time point for the second session to 00:00:03 seconds, the reporting time point for the third session to 00:00:05 seconds, the reporting time point for the fourth session to 00:00:06 seconds, the reporting time point for the fifth session to 00:00:07 seconds, until the reporting time points for all sessions are set. It should be noted that in actual application scenarios, the reporting time points for the usage information of sessions can be set as regular discrete time points or irregular discrete time points.

[0057] If the current time point reaches the handover time point for session rate handover, the usage information of each session will be reported to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session. Since the reporting time point is a discrete time point after the rate handover time point, when the current time point reaches the rate handover time point, the usage information of the sessions will not be reported simultaneously at the handover time point, but will be reported smoothly after the handover time point, avoiding N4 interface message storms, avoiding the load of the session management function network element from surging, preventing the session management function network element from discarding messages, realizing the normal processing and accurate transmission of messages, and thus ensuring the correct statistics of user traffic by the operator.

[0058] Optionally, setting the reporting time point for each session to report usage information includes:

[0059] Setting the reporting time point for each session to evenly spaced time points.

[0060] To reduce the fluctuation of the load of the session management function network element, the user plane function network element can set the reporting time point for each session to evenly spaced time points for smooth reporting. For example, assume that the actual number of sessions of the current thread is 200. Set the reporting time point for the first session to report usage information to 00:00:01 seconds at the handover time point, the reporting time point for the second session to 00:00:02 seconds, the reporting time point for the third session to 00:00:03 seconds, the reporting time point for the fourth session to 00:00:04 seconds... the reporting time point for the 200th session to 00:03:20 seconds, and report each session smoothly at an interval of 1 second, which can reduce the fluctuation of the load on the session management function network element.

[0061] Further, setting the reporting time points of each session to evenly spaced time points includes:

[0062] Based on the identification serial number of each session, calculating the delay time of each session when reporting usage information relative to the switching time point;

[0063] Taking the time point obtained by adding the switching time point and the delay time as the reporting time point of the session.

[0064] It is also possible to set the reporting time point of each session in combination with the identification serial number of each session. The identification serial number of a session can be the serial number obtained after sorting according to the session ID number. For example, assuming that the actual number of sessions of the current thread is 200, then for the session ranked 1st in the sorting result, its identification serial number is 1, for the session ranked 2nd in the sorting result, its identification serial number is 2, and so on. For the session ranked 200th, its identification serial number is 200. The identification serial number of the session can be directly used as the delay time for the session to report usage information, or the value obtained by multiplying the identification serial number of the session by a preset value can be used as the delay time for the session to report usage information. It can be understood that the delay time is the delay time relative to the rate switching time point. Taking the time point obtained by adding the rate switching time point and the delay time as the reporting time point of the session. For example, for the session with the identification serial number 1, multiplying 1 by a preset value (for example, 2) to obtain the value as the delay time of this session, and adding the delay time of 2 seconds to the rate switching time point of 00:00:00, as the reporting time point of this session, that is, the reporting time point of the session with the identification serial number 1 is 00:00:02.

[0065] Further, the calculating, based on the identification serial number of each session, the delay time of each session when reporting usage information relative to the switching time point includes:

[0066] Determining the total duration for all sessions to complete reporting of usage information;

[0067] Based on the identification serial number and the total duration, calculating the delay time of each session when reporting usage information.

[0068] Since the reported usage information usually needs to be uploaded within a specified duration, the delay time for each session to report usage information can also be calculated in combination with the total duration for all sessions to complete the reporting of usage information. Suppose the actual number of sessions of the current thread is 200 (the session ID numbers are from 1 to 200). After configuring the arrival rate switching point, the total duration for all sessions to complete the reporting of usage information (i.e., the specified duration for all sessions to complete the reporting of usage information) is 10 minutes. If the rate switching time point is 00:00:00, then set the timer for reporting at the rate switching point to 00:00:00 + delay time T. The delay time T can distribute the total duration of 600 seconds to the delay time of each session. For example, each session is reported smoothly at an interval of 3 seconds. The time points for smooth reporting are shown in the following table:

[0069]

[0070] Suppose there are 1 million sessions in the user plane function network element. If discrete time points are not used for reporting, it may report 1 million times at the same moment. After using discrete time points for smooth reporting, the 1 million reports will be evenly distributed and reported within a certain time range after the rate switching point. If it is reported within 10 minutes, about 16,667 times will be reported per second, greatly avoiding the high load on the session management function network element.

[0071] Optionally, reporting the usage information of each session to the session management function network element according to the reporting time point includes:

[0072] Generating the first usage information of each session before the rate switch;

[0073] Generating the second usage information of each session after the rate switch and before the reporting time point of the session;

[0074] Reporting the first usage information and the second usage information of each session to the session management function network element.

[0075] Since the reporting time point for reporting usage information is after the rate switching time point, there may still be usage generated after the rate switching time point and before the reporting time point. For example, for the session with the above ID number 3, its rate switching time point is 00:00:00 and the reporting time point is 00:00:09. There may still be usage generated within these 9 seconds for this session. Therefore, if there is still usage after the rate switching time point, two copies of usage can be reported to identify the usage before and after the rate switching time point. Specifically, generate the usage information of each session before the rate switching (denoted as the first usage information), generate the usage information of each session after the rate switching and before the reporting time point of this session (the second usage information), and report the first usage information and the second usage information of each session to the session management function network element. This ensures that the usage generated after the rate switching time point and before the reporting time point is not missed, guaranteeing the correct statistics of the user traffic by the operator.

[0076] In this embodiment, a method for reporting usage information running on the above network device is provided. This method is applied to the session management function network element in the network device. Figure 3 It is a flowchart of the method for reporting usage information according to an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 3 shown. The process includes the following steps:

[0077] Step S301: Send the switching time point for indicating the session rate switching to the user plane function network element, so that the user plane function network element sets the reporting time point for reporting usage information for each session according to the switching time point, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point.

[0078] Step S302: If the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switching, receive the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0079] In this embodiment, the session management function network element, the user plane function network element, and the charging function network element can form a charging system, which is used to perform flow-based charging on the Internet access behavior of the user terminal. It can be understood that this 5G core network can be set on a network device.

[0080] When the session management function network element is connected to multiple user plane function network elements and performs flow metering and billing, all sessions accessed on the user plane function network element need to report the traffic before the rate switch at the rate switch point. When all sessions on multiple user plane function network elements reach the rate switch point at the same time, all sessions of the user plane function network element will send the usage information before the rate switch to the session management function network element at the same time, causing congestion of N4 interface messages and a sharp increase in the load of the session management function network element, unable to ensure the reliability of message transmission, may lead to the loss of messages, and affect the operator's statistics of user traffic. Therefore, when all sessions on the user plane function network element of this embodiment reach the rate switch point, the usage information of the sessions is not reported simultaneously at this moment of the rate switch point, but is reported smoothly within a period of time after the rate switch point, avoiding the N4 interface message storm and the sharp increase in the load of the session management function network element, and reporting the usage information within the processing capacity range of the session management function network element, so as to realize the normal processing and accurate transmission of messages.

[0081] Specifically, the session management function network element indicates the time point of rate switch in the usage report rule (URR) of session usage reporting in the user plane function network element through N4 signaling. For example, the session management function network element indicates that the switching time point of rate switch is 00:00:00 on September 1, 2023.

[0082] The user plane function network element sets the reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the switching time point indicated by the session management function network element. Among them, the reporting time point is a discrete time point after the rate switching time point, so that after the current time point reaches the rate switching time point, the reporting time points of sessions reporting usage information will not be concentrated at the same time point. For example, assume that the actual number of sessions of the current thread is 200. By setting the reporting time point for the first session to report usage information as 00:00:01 at the switching time point, the reporting time point for the second session as 00:00:03, the reporting time point for the third session as 00:00:05, the reporting time point for the fourth session as 00:00:06, and the reporting time point for the fifth session as 00:00:07, until the reporting time points of all sessions are set. It should be noted that in the actual application scenario, the reporting time points of session usage information can be set as regular discrete time points or irregular discrete time points.

[0083] If the current time point reaches the reporting time point of the session, the session management function network element receives the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element according to the reporting time point. Since the reporting time points are discrete time points after the rate switching time point, when the current time point reaches the rate switching time point, the usage information of the session will not be reported simultaneously at the moment of the rate switching point, but will be reported smoothly after the rate switching point, avoiding the N4 interface message storm, preventing the load of the session management function network element from surging, preventing the session management function network element from discarding messages, realizing the normal processing and accurate transmission of messages, and thus ensuring the correct statistics of the user traffic by the operator.

[0084] Optionally, after receiving the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session, the method further includes:

[0085] Sending the usage information of each session to the charging function network element.

[0086] After the session management function network element receives the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element according to the reporting time point, the session management function network element sends the usage information of each session to the charging function network element, so that the charging function network element can charge for the usage of each session.

[0087] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform. Of course, it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disc), and includes several instructions for causing a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0088] Embodiment 2

[0089] In this embodiment, a usage information reporting device is provided. This device is used to implement the above embodiments and preferred implementation manners, and those that have been described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can be a combination of software and / or hardware that can implement a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, implementation in hardware, or a combination of software and hardware is also possible and contemplated.

[0090] Figure 4 is a structural block diagram of the usage information reporting device according to an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 4 shown, the device includes:

[0091] A receiving module 41, configured to receive a switching time point for indicating a session rate switch sent by a session management function network element;

[0092] A setting module 42, configured to set a reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the switching time point, where the reporting time points are discrete time points;

[0093] A reporting module 43, configured to, if the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switch, report the usage information of each session to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0094] In this embodiment, a usage information reporting device is further provided. This device is used to implement the above embodiments and preferred implementation manners, and those that have been described will not be repeated. As used hereinafter, the term "module" may be a combination of software and / or hardware that can implement a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, implementation in hardware, or a combination of software and hardware is also possible and contemplated.

[0095] Figure 5 is a structural block diagram of a usage information reporting device according to an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 5 shown, the device includes:

[0096] A sending module 51, configured to send a switching time point for indicating a session rate switch to the user plane function network element, so that the user plane function network element sets a reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the switching time point, where the reporting time points are discrete time points;

[0097] A receiving module 52, configured to receive the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session if the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switch.

[0098] It should be noted that the above-mentioned various modules can be implemented by software or hardware. For the latter, it can be implemented in the following ways, but not limited thereto: the above-mentioned modules are all located in the same processor; or, the above-mentioned various modules are respectively located in different processors in any combination form.

[0099] Embodiment 3

[0100] An embodiment of the present application provides a storage medium, in which a computer program is stored, where the computer program is set to execute the steps in any one of the above method embodiments when running.

[0101] Optionally, in this embodiment, the above storage medium may be configured to store a computer program for performing the following steps:

[0102] Receive a handover time point sent by a session management function network element for indicating session rate handover;

[0103] According to the handover time point, set the reporting time point for each session to report usage information, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point;

[0104] If the current time point reaches the handover time point of the session rate handover, report the usage information of each session to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0105] Optionally, setting the reporting time point for each session to report usage information includes:

[0106] Set the reporting time points of each session to time points with uniform intervals.

[0107] Optionally, setting the reporting time points of each session to time points with uniform intervals includes:

[0108] Based on the identification serial number of each session, calculate the delay time of each session reporting usage information relative to the handover time point;

[0109] Use the time point obtained by adding the delay time to the handover time point as the reporting time point of the session.

[0110] Optionally, calculating the delay time of each session reporting usage information relative to the handover time point based on the identification serial number of each session includes:

[0111] Determine the total duration for all sessions to complete reporting usage information;

[0112] Based on the identification serial number and the total duration, calculate the delay time of each session reporting usage information.

[0113] Optionally, reporting the usage information of each session to the session management function network element according to the reporting time point includes:

[0114] Generate the first usage information of each session before rate handover;

[0115] Generate the second usage information of each session after rate handover and before the reporting time point of the session;

[0116] Report the first usage information and the second usage information of each session to the session management function network element.

[0117] In this embodiment, the above storage medium may also be configured to store a computer program for executing the following steps:

[0118] Send a handover time point for indicating session rate handover to the user plane function network element, so that the user plane function network element sets the reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the handover time point, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point;

[0119] If the current time point reaches the handover time point of the session rate handover, receive the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0120] In this embodiment, the above storage medium may include but is not limited to: various media that can store computer programs such as USB flash drives, read-only memories (ROM for short), random access memories (RAM for short), mobile hard disks, magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0121] An embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor. A computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the steps in any one of the above method embodiments.

[0122] Optionally, the above electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input / output device, where the transmission device is connected to the above processor, and the input / output device is connected to the above processor.

[0123] Optionally, in this embodiment, the above processor may be configured to execute the following steps through a computer program:

[0124] Receive a handover time point for indicating session rate handover sent by the session management function network element;

[0125] According to the handover time point, set the reporting time point for each session to report usage information, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point;

[0126] If the current time point reaches the handover time point of the session rate handover, report the usage information of each session to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0127] Optionally, setting the reporting time point for each session to report usage information includes:

[0128] Set the reporting time points of each session to time points with uniform intervals.

[0129] Optionally, setting the reporting time points of each session to evenly spaced time points includes:

[0130] Based on the identification serial number of each session, calculating the delay time of each session reporting usage information relative to the switching time point;

[0131] Taking the time point obtained by adding the switching time point and the delay time as the reporting time point of the session.

[0132] Optionally, the calculating the delay time of each session reporting usage information relative to the switching time point based on the identification serial number of each session includes:

[0133] Determining the total duration for all sessions to complete reporting usage information;

[0134] Based on the identification serial number and the total duration, calculating the delay time of each session reporting usage information.

[0135] Optionally, the reporting the usage information of each session to the session management function network element according to the reporting time point includes:

[0136] Generating the first usage information of each session before the rate switching;

[0137] Generating the second usage information of each session after the rate switching and before the reporting time point of the session;

[0138] Reporting the first usage information and the second usage information of each session to the session management function network element.

[0139] Specific examples in this embodiment may refer to the examples described in the above embodiments and optional implementation manners, and will not be elaborated here.

[0140] In this embodiment, the above processor may further be set to execute the following steps through a computer program:

[0141] Sending a switching time point for indicating session rate switching to the user plane function network element, so that the user plane function network element sets the reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the switching time point, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point;

[0142] If the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switching, receiving the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

[0143] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the above-mentioned modules or steps of the present application can be implemented by a general-purpose computing device. They can be concentrated on a single computing device or distributed on a network composed of multiple computing devices. Optionally, they can be implemented by program codes executable by the computing device. Thus, they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device. And in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in a sequence different from that here, or they can be separately fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps among them can be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. In this way, the present application is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

[0144] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not used to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various changes and modifications. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the principle of the present application shall be included within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A usage information reporting method, characterized in that, it is applied to the user plane function network element in a network device, and the method includes: Receiving a handover time point sent by a session management function network element for indicating session rate handover; According to the handover time point, setting a reporting time point for each session to report usage information, wherein the reporting time point is a discrete time point; If the current time point reaches the handover time point of the session rate handover, reporting the usage information of each session to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The setting of the reporting time point for each session to report usage information includes: Setting the reporting time points of each session to time points with uniform intervals.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The setting of the reporting time points of each session to time points with uniform intervals includes: Based on the identification serial number of each session, calculating the delay time of each session reporting usage information relative to the handover time point; Taking the time point obtained by adding the delay time to the handover time point as the reporting time point of the session.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The calculating of the delay time of each session reporting usage information relative to the handover time point based on the identification serial number of each session includes: Determining the total duration for all sessions to complete reporting of usage information; Calculating the delay time of each session reporting usage information based on the identification serial number and the total duration.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reporting of the usage information of each session to the session management function network element according to the reporting time point includes: Generating first usage information of each session before rate handover; Generating second usage information of each session after rate handover and before the reporting time point of the session; Reporting the first usage information and the second usage information of each session to the session management function network element.

6. A usage information reporting method, characterized in that, it is applied to the session management function network element in a network device, and the method includes: Sending a handover time point for indicating session rate handover to the user plane function network element, so that the user plane function network element sets a reporting time point for each session to report usage information according to the handover time point, wherein the reporting time point is a discrete time point; If the current time point reaches the handover time point of the session rate handover, receiving the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After receiving the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session, the method further includes: Sending the usage information of each session to a charging function network element.

8. A usage information reporting device, characterized in that, it includes: A receiving module, configured to receive a handover time point sent by a session management function network element for indicating session rate handover; A setting module, configured to set, according to the switching time point, a reporting time point for each session to report usage information, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point; A reporting module, configured to, if the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switching, report the usage information of each session to the session management function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

9. A usage information reporting device, characterized in that, it includes: A sending module, configured to send a switching time point for indicating session rate switching to the user plane function network element, so that the user plane function network element sets, according to the switching time point, a reporting time point for each session to report usage information, where the reporting time point is a discrete time point; A receiving module, configured to, if the current time point reaches the switching time point of the session rate switching, receive the usage information of each session sent by the user plane function network element at the reporting time point of each session.

10. A storage medium, characterized in that, a computer program is stored in the storage medium, where the computer program is configured to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 5 when running.

11. A storage medium, characterized in that, a computer program is stored in the storage medium, where the computer program is configured to execute the method described in any one of claims 6 to 7 when running.

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