Network node, information processing system, information processing method, and computer program

Abstract

To provide a technique that can provide incentives to users who contribute to data provision.SOLUTION: A network node constituting a wireless communication network has a processor, the processor executes the steps of receiving a charging data request, and generating a charging data record in response to the reception of the charging data request, the charging data record includes a data identifier of data provided by a data providing device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a network node, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a computer program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses that the server registers user information of user mobile terminals participating in the information provision, searches for users who will participate in the provision of information corresponding to the type of information provision requested from the client mobile terminal, and transmits a request for information provision to the user terminal of the relevant user. This makes it possible to collect meaningful information for the client requesting the information provision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-242553 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TS 32.240 V18.2.0 [Non-patent document 2] 3GPP TS 32.290 V18.1.0 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a technology that can provide incentives to users who contribute to data provision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is A network node constituting a wireless communication network, a processor; The processor: receiving a Charging Data Request; generating a Charging Data Record in response to receiving the Charging Data Request; Run The billing data record includes a data identifier for the data provided by the data providing device. The network node is characterized by:

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is An information processing system including a network node and a charging domain, The network node receives a Charging Data Request. a processor that performs the steps of: generating a charging data record in response to receiving the charging data request; and transmitting the charging data record to the charging domain; the charging domain having a processor configured to receive the charging data records and perform billing or payment processing based on the charging data records; the billing data record includes an identifier for the data provided by the data providing device; The information processing system is characterized by the above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to aspects of the present disclosure, incentives can be given to users who contribute to data provision, thereby encouraging the provision of more useful data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates components of a wireless communication system. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a CHF (Charging Function). [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing device that can operate as an NF, an OAM terminal, and an external server. [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device that can operate as a user terminal. [Figure 4A] 1 is a sequence diagram for collecting and providing sensing measurement data. [Figure 4B] 1 is a sequence diagram for collecting and providing sensing measurement data. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart relating to a billing process by a BD (Billing Domain); DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (overview) It is conceivable to collect data from a user terminal or other device and provide the data or processed data to another user terminal or other device. For example, the user terminal may be a mobile communication terminal, and the collected data may be sensing measurement data measured by the user terminal. In such a system, whether or not a user provides data, as well as the frequency, accuracy, and importance of the data provided by the user, depend on the user. Therefore, in order to increase motivation for data provision, it is desirable to provide appropriate incentives to users who provide data.

[0011] One aspect of the present disclosure is a network node that constitutes a wireless communication network, the network node having a processor, the processor receiving a charging data request. and generating a charging data record in response to receiving the charging data request, wherein the charging data record includes a data identifier of the data provided by the data providing device.

[0012] Examples of wireless communication networks include systems using 5G, 4G, LTE, LTE-A, SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, NR, etc., and next-generation systems expanded based on these. Other examples of wireless communication networks include IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other systems, and next-generation systems expanded based on these. The wireless communication network may also be a system in which multiple systems are combined.

[0013] The charging data record is also called a CDR (Charging Data Record). In this embodiment, the charging data record includes a data identifier for the data provided by the data providing device. A first charging data record is generated when the data providing device provides data, and a second charging data record is generated when the data using device uses data. By generating charging data records respectively in response to data provision and data usage and including data identifiers in these charging data records, it becomes possible to pay incentives to users of the data providing device according to their data usage records.

[0014] In this aspect, the generation of the billing data record is performed by using the data provided by the data providing device. and generating a second charging data record including a data identifier of the data used by the data utilization device. By generating the first charging data record and the second charging data record in this manner, it becomes possible to provide incentives to the data utilization user according to the utilization record.

[0015] The second billing data record may further include an identifier of the data utilization device. By including the identifier of the data utilization device in the second billing data record, it is possible to bill the user of the data utilization device for the cost of data utilization.

[0016] A billing data record including the data identifier of the data provided by the data providing device and the identifier of the data providing device is considered to be a billing data record related to data provision (first billing data record). A billing data record including the data identifier of the data used by the data utilizing device (second billing data record) is considered to be a billing data record related to data usage. The "data identifier of the data provided by the data providing device" (first data identifier) ​​and the "data identifier of the data used by the data utilizing device" (second data identifier) ​​may be the same or different, as long as the correspondence between them can be grasped. For example, when the data utilizing device uses the data provided by the data providing device as is, it is convenient for the first data identifier and the second data identifier to be the same. Furthermore, when the data utilizing device uses data created based on the data provided by the data providing device, it is preferable that one or more first data identifiers are associated with the second data identifier, and that this correspondence is recorded by the network node.

[0017] Inclusion of a data identifier for the data provided by the data providing device and an identifier for the data providing device in the charging data record enables incentive payment processing to the user of the data providing device that provided the data. Inclusion of a data identifier for the data used by the data utilization device and an identifier for the data utilization device in the charging data record enables billing processing to the user of the data utilization device that used the data. In addition, the existence of both a charging data record related to the provision of data and a charging data record related to the utilization of data enables incentive payment processing to the user of the data providing device according to the data utilization performance. Note that if billing processing to the user of the data utilization device is not required, the identifier of the data utilization device does not need to be included in the CDR related to data utilization generated in conjunction with data utilization by the data utilization device.

[0018] In this aspect, the data may be sensing measurement data obtained by the data providing device through sensing. The sensing measurement data may be raw data obtained by the data providing device, or may be data processed by the data providing device or another device based on the raw data. Examples of processed data include the type, position, size, and movement speed of an object detected by sensing.

[0019] In this aspect, the data identifier may be an identifier of an object included in the sensing measurement data. The same identifier may be assigned to the same object, or different identifiers may be assigned to the same object for each measurement instance. The data identifier in this disclosure may also be considered as an identifier of the sensing measurement.

[0020] In this aspect, each of the charging data request and the charging data record may include at least one of the importance, reliability, and rarity of the data. By including this information in the charging data record, it becomes possible to pay a larger incentive to a user who provides data with high importance, reliability, or rarity, and therefore it becomes possible to encourage the provision of data with high importance, reliability, or rarity.

[0021] In this aspect, the charging data records generated by the network node may be transmitted from the network node periodically or upon request to a charging domain, which performs at least one of processing incentive payments to users of the data providing devices and processing billing for data usage to users of the data utilizing devices based on the charging data records obtained from the network node.

[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing system including a network node and a charging domain, wherein the network node receives a charging data request. a processor that performs the following: generating a charging data record in response to receiving the charging data request; generating a charging data record in response to receiving the charging data request; and transmitting the charging data record to the charging domain, wherein the charging domain has a processor that receives the charging data record and performs billing or payment processing based on the charging data record, and wherein each of the charging data request and the charging data record includes an identifier of data provided by a data providing device (UE) and an identifier of the data providing device, or an identifier of data used by a data utilizing device and an identifier of the data utilizing device.

[0023] In this aspect, the processor of the charging domain may perform at least one of billing processing for the user of the data providing device and payment processing for the user of the data utilizing device.

[0024] In this aspect, the processor of the charging domain may receive a first charging data record relating to the provision of data by the data providing device and a second charging data record relating to the use of data by the data utilizing device, and perform a payment process to the user of the data providing device that provided the data of the data identifier based on the data identifier included in the second charging data record.

[0025] In this aspect, each of the billing data request and the billing data record may further include at least one of the importance, reliability, and rarity of the data, and the payment process may include payment of an amount corresponding to at least one of the importance, reliability, and rarity of the data.

[0026] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a method executed by a network node constituting a wireless communication network, the method comprising: receiving a charging data request; and generating a charging data record in response to receiving a charging data request, wherein the charging data request and the charging data record each include a data identifier of data provided by a data providing device (UE) and an identifier of the data providing device, or a data identifier of data used by a data utilizing device and an identifier of the data utilizing device.

[0027] The present disclosure further includes a computer program for causing a computer to execute each step of the above method, and a computer program for implementing the above network node or information processing system by a computer. The present disclosure further includes a computer-readable medium having the above computer program recorded thereon.

[0028] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples for the purpose of explanation, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. For example, an example in which the present disclosure is applied to a fifth-generation mobile communication system will be described below, but the present disclosure can also be applied to a fourth-generation or The present disclosure may be applied to mobile communication systems of generations later than 5G. The present disclosure may also be applied to mobile communication systems defined by organizations other than 3GPP, or to any wireless communication system or wired communication system other than a mobile communication system. It is also assumed that the data provided and used by the user terminal is sensing data measured by the user terminal. However, the data provided and used may be sensing data measured by a device other than the user terminal, or any data other than sensing data.

[0029] <Configuration of information processing system> FIG. 1 shows components that make up a fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G network). In FIG. 1, UE (User Equipment) 2 is a terminal of a user (subscriber). RAN (Radio Access Network) 3 is an access network to a 5G core network (5GC). RAN 3 is composed of base stations (gNBs). The 5G network has a 5G core network (5GC) and an access network ((R)AN), and UE 2, DN 5, and AF 12 are connected to the 5G network. Each of NFs 11a to 11n is a function realized by one or more computers (information processing devices) executing a program. However, a single computer may realize two or more of NFs 11a to 11n. Each of NFs 11a to 11n can also be called a network node or a network component.

[0030] 5GC is composed of a set of components with specific functions called NFs (Network Functions). Figure 1 shows the following NFs 11 that make up 5GC. In Figure 1, they are indicated by bold rectangles.

[0031] UPF (User Plane Function) 11a AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function)11b SMF (Session Management Function)11c PCF(Policy Control Function)11d NEF(Network Exposure Function)11e NRF(Network Repository Function)11g NSSF(Network Slice Selection Function)11h AUSF(Authentication Server Function)11i UDM(Unified Data Management)11j NWDAF(Network Data Analytics Function)11k CHF (Charging Function) 11m SENSING (Sensing Function) 11n

[0032] The UPF 11a performs routing and forwarding of user packets (user plane packets transmitted and received by the UE 2), packet inspection, and QoS processing.

[0033] The AMF 11b is a device for accommodating UEs in the 5GC. The AMF 11b accommodates the RAN 3 and performs subscriber authentication control, location (mobility) management of the UE 2, and so on.

[0034] The SMF 11c manages PDU (Protocol Data Unit) sessions and controls the UPF 11a to implement QoS (Quality of Service) control and policy control. The PDU session is a virtual communication path for exchanging data between the UE 2 and a DN (Data Network) 5. The DN 5 is a data network (such as the Internet) external to the 5GC.

[0035] PCF11d performs QoS control, policy control, charging control, etc. under the control of SMF11c. QoS control involves controlling the quality of communication, such as by prioritizing packet forwarding. Policy control involves controlling communication, such as QoS based on network or subscriber information, whether packet forwarding is permitted, and billing.

[0036] NEF11e acts as an intermediary for communication between external nodes and nodes within the control plane.

[0037] The NRF 11g stores and manages information about NFs (e.g., AMF, SMF, UPF, etc.) within the 5GC. In response to an inquiry about an NF desired to be used, the NRF 11g can return multiple NF candidates to the inquiry source.

[0038] The NSSF11h has the function of selecting the network slice to be used by the subscriber from among the network slices generated by network slicing. A network slice is a virtual network with specifications according to the application.

[0039] The AUSF 11i is a subscriber authentication server that performs subscriber authentication under the control of the AMF 11b.

[0040] The UDM 11j holds subscriber-related information, provides subscriber information, or acquires, registers, deletes, and changes the status of the UE 2.

[0041] The NWDAF 11k has the function of collecting and analyzing data from each NF 11, the OAM terminal 8 (Fig. 2), external servers, etc. It is an NF that provides network analysis information.

[0042] CHF11m for online and offline charging functions The CHF 11m is a network node having a charging trigger function (CTF). The CHF 11m is connected to an NF (network node) having a charging trigger function (CTF). Details of the CHF 11m will be described later.

[0043] SENSING11n performs sensing services including collecting sensing information from UE2, RAN3 (base station (gNB)), or other nodes, and providing the collected sensing information to UE2 or other external systems (AF12, DN5, etc.). Details of SENSING11n will be described later.

[0044] The AF12 is an NF that provides application services via the NRF11g as part of the 5GC, or an NF that is external to the 5GC and provides application services via the NEF11e. The AF12 performs processing using sensing data, for example. As an example, the AF12 generates dynamic map information based on sensing measurement data obtained from the SENSING11. Alternatively, the UE2 or an application program executed on the UE2 may operate as the AF12.

[0045] In 5GC, multiple NFs of the same type may be prepared. For example, an NF 11 may be prepared for each data center (station). Also, one NF 11 may be shared between data centers. Also, multiple NFs 11 of the same type may be configured in one data center. The number of data centers, the number of NFs 11, and the correspondence between the NFs 11 and the data centers may be set as appropriate.

[0046] Figure 2 is a diagram explaining the CHF 11m in more detail. The CHF 11m provides services using the Nchf interface. The CTFs included in the SMF 11c and SENSING 11n can access the CHF 11m using the Nchf interface. Cut.

[0047] As shown in Figure 2, CHF11m is a charging gateway function (CGF). The CHF 11m can communicate with the Billing Domain 13 (BD, billing device) using a CGF (Call Gateway Function). The CHF 11m may also be combined with an Account Balance Management Function (ABMF) and a Rating Function (RF) to form a charging device. Furthermore, although the CGF is included in the charging device in the example of Figure 2, the CGF may also be included in the charging domain or may be a network element independent of both the charging device and the charging domain.

[0048] SENSING (sensing unit) 11n is a network node having the functions of collecting sensing measurement data from UE2, analyzing the sensing measurement data, and providing the sensing data to AF 12. In this disclosure, "sensing data" is a term that includes at least either the sensing measurement data itself provided from UE2 and data based on the provided sensing measurement data (for example, data obtained by analyzing the sensing measurement data or analysis results). SENSING 11n includes a CTF (Charging Trigger Function), and CTF is a CD function for CHF 11m. The NEF11e requests the generation of R. The SENSING11n receives a sensing specification from, for example, the data requesting AF12 or a specific NF11 via the NEF11e, and collects sensing information from the specified monitoring target. The SENSING11n then notifies the AF12 or the like that received the specification of the collected sensing data. The SENSING11n can collect sensing measurement data from at least one of the AF12, RAN3 (gNB), an external server, UE2, and NF11 other than the specific NF11 connected to the 5GC via the NEF11e. The sensing service provided by the SENSING11n can be performed using either the Subscribe / Notify method or the Request / Response method (as specified in Chapter 6.1 of TS23.288).

[0049] BD13 (Billing Domain) has the function of performing billing processing. The term "billing" in this disclosure is a term that includes at least one of providing incentives (paying fees) and collecting fees (billing). The BD 13 receives CDRs from the CHF 11m and performs billing mediation. , billing, and other processing (e.g., statistical processing).

[0050] <Configuration of information processing device and terminal> 3A is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device that can operate as each of NFs 11a to 11k, an OAM terminal, and an external server. In FIG. 3A, the information processing device 20 can be configured using a dedicated or general-purpose information processing device (computer) such as a personal computer (PC), a workstation (WS), or a server machine. However, the information processing device 20 may also be a collection (cloud) of one or more computers.

[0051] The information processing device 20 includes a processor 21 as a processing unit or control unit (controller), a storage device 22, a communication interface 23 (communication IF23), an input device 24, and a display 25, which are interconnected via a bus 26.

[0052] The storage device 22 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device is used as at least one of a storage area for programs and data, a storage area for program development, a work area for programs, and a buffer area for communication data. The main storage device is configured with RAM (Random Access Memory) or a combination of RAM and ROM (Read Only Memory). The auxiliary storage device is used as a storage area for data and programs. A non-volatile storage medium is applied to the auxiliary storage device. Examples of non-volatile storage media include hard disks and solid-state drives. The storage device 22 may be a solid-state drive (SSD), flash memory, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc. The storage device 22 may also include a drive device for a disk recording medium.

[0053] The communication IF 23 is a circuit that performs communication processing. For example, the communication IF 23 is a network interface card (NIC). Alternatively, the communication IF 23 may be a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication (5G, wireless LAN (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), BLE, etc.). The communication IF 23 may also be a combination of a circuit that performs wired communication processing and a wireless communication circuit.

[0054] The input device 24 includes keys, buttons, a pointing device, a touch panel, etc., and is used to input information. The display 25 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, etc., and displays information and data.

[0055] The processor 21 performs various processes by executing various programs stored in the storage device 22. When the processor 21 executes the programs stored in the storage device 22, the information processing device 20 can operate as each of the NFs 11a to 11k, the OAM terminal 8, and the external servers 12a and 12b.

[0056] 3B is a diagram showing an example configuration of a terminal 40 operable as a UE 2. The terminal 40 includes a processor 41, a storage device 42, a communication interface 43 (communication IF 43), an input device 44, and a display 45, which are interconnected via a bus 46. The processor 41, the storage device 42, the communication IF 43, the input device 44, and the display 45 can be similar to the processor 21, the storage device 22, the communication IF 23, the input device 24, and the display 25. Therefore, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0057] The processors 21 and 41 are, for example, Central Processing Units (CPUs). The PU is also called a Microprocessor Unit (MPU). The processors 21 and 41 may have a single processor configuration or a multi-processor configuration. Also, a single physical CPU connected via a single socket may have a multi-core configuration. The processors 21 and 41 may include arithmetic units of various circuit configurations, such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) or a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Also, the processors 21 and 41 may have a configuration in which they cooperate with at least one of an integrated circuit (IC), other digital circuit, and analog circuit. The integrated circuit may be an LSI, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), etc. The PLD includes, for example, a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The processors 21 and 41 include, for example, what is called a microcontroller (MCU), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a system LSI, or a chipset.

[0058] <Example of operation: Data collection and provision processing> 4A and 4B are sequence diagrams showing an example of operations related to the collection and provision of sensing data according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that the sequence diagrams shown here are merely examples, and may include processes other than those shown, may omit some of the processes shown, or may change the order in which the processes shown are executed. Also, although FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example of data provision using the Subscribe / Notify method, data may also be provided using the Request / Response method. Also, although FIGS. 4A and 4B assume offline charging, online charging may also be employed.

[0059] In this operation example, UE2 that transmits sensing data to SENSING11n corresponds to a "data providing device", and A that receives sensing data from SENSING11n corresponds to a "data providing device". F12 falls under the category of "data utilization device."

[0060] In steps S12 to S14, the AF 12 that uses the sensing data subscribes to the sensing data from the SENSING 11n via the NEF 11e. The subscription message includes an identifier of the AF 12 and parameters for identifying the sensing data to be subscribed. The identifier (AFID) of the AF 12 (external server) is used as an identifier (UEID) for identifying the data user (subscriber) in the data collection and provision process. The parameters for identifying the sensing measurement data to be subscribed to can be expressed as conditions related to, for example, the type of object, its location, moving speed, size, etc. The subscription message from the AF 12 is transmitted to the SENSING 11n via the NEF 11e. In FIG. 4A, the parameters included in the subscription messages at S12 to S14 are the same, but for example, the NEF 11e may change the parameters included in the subscription message.

[0061] In step S16, the user equipment 2 providing the sensing measurement data transmits the sensing measurement data to SENSING11n. The data transmission message includes an identifier of UE2 and the sensing measurement data. Here, the sensing measurement data may be raw data of the sensing measurement performed by UE2, or may be data processed from the raw data.

[0062] In step S18, SENSING 11n performs data processing on the sensing measurement data received from UE2. An example of data processing is processing to identify an object contained in the sensing measurement data. Identifying an object includes object recognition (recognition of object type), position identification, size identification, moving speed identification, etc. SENSING 11n also obtains an object identifier (Object ID) to identify an object contained in the sensing measurement data. For example, S Each time sensing measurement data is obtained, ENSING11n assigns a unique identifier to the object obtained from the sensing measurement data.

[0063] SENSING11n may also calculate the reliability of object recognition. Object recognition can typically be performed using a learning model (object recognition means) obtained by machine learning, and the learning model outputs the object recognition results as well as the reliability of the results. The reliability output from the learning model or a value based on this reliability corresponds to the reliability of object recognition described above. SENSING11n may also calculate the rarity (or scarcity) of the sensing measurement data. The rarity can be determined from various perspectives. For example, the rarity may be determined to be higher for objects with a lower appearance or detection frequency, or for sensing measurement data from locations and / or time periods where the number or frequency of sensing measurement data is lower. For example, SENSING11n may compile the types of objects, locations and / or time periods of the measurement targets included in the sensing measurement data obtained so far, and calculate the rarity of each piece of sensing measurement data according to the number of data or frequency of appearance. SENSING11n may also calculate the importance of the sensing data. The importance may be determined, for example, by combining the reliability and rarity, for example, as an average or total, or may be determined based on other criteria.

[0064] SENSING11n stores the results of the data processing in a storage device.

[0065] In step S20, the SENSING 11n transmits a charging data request to the CHF 11m. The billing data request includes information that can identify that the UE 2 is related to the data provision. The billing data request includes an identifier of the UE 2 that provided the data, the reliability of the sensing data, and an identifier of the object included in the sensing data.

[0066] In step S22, the CHF 11m generates a Charging Data Record (CDR) in response to receiving the charging data request. The CDR includes information that can identify the UE2 that provided the data, the reliability of the sensing data, and the identifier of the object included in the sensing data. The generated CDR is stored in a storage device within the CHF 11m.

[0067] In step S24, the CHF 11m transmits a notification (Charging Answer) to the SENSING 11n indicating that the generation of the CDR has been completed.

[0068] In step S26, SENSING11n transmits the sensing data to NEF11e (Notification). The process of step S26 is executed in response to SENSING11n acquiring the sensing data for which the NEF11e has subscribed. The Notification message includes an object identifier, the reliability of the sensing data, and the sensing data. The sensing data sent to NEF11e may be the result of data processing by SENSING11n instead of or in addition to the sensing measurement data provided by UE2.

[0069] In step S28, the NEF 11e sends a Charging Data Request ) to the CHF 11m. The billing data request includes the identifier of the AF 12 that is the data recipient (subscriber), the reliability of the sensing data, and the identifier of the object included in the sensing data.

[0070] In step S30, the CHF 11m generates a Charging Data Record (CDR) in response to receiving the charging data request. The CDR includes information that can identify the data usage by the AF 12. The CDR includes the identifier of the AF 12 that is the data recipient, the reliability of the sensing data, and the identifier of the object included in the sensing data. The generated CDR is stored in a storage device within the CHF 11m.

[0071] The reason why the CDR includes the identifier of the AF 12 to which the data is provided is to bill the user of the AF 12. If the user of the AF 12 is not billed for fees, it is not necessary to identify the user who used the data, and therefore the data usage CDR does not need to include the user identifier.

[0072] In step S32, the CHF 11m transmits a notification (Charging Answer) to the SENSING 11n indicating that the generation of the CDR has been completed.

[0073] In step S34, the NEF transmits the sensing measurement data (API Notification) to the AF 12. The message includes at least the sensing data.

[0074] In step S36, the AF 12 transmits a notification to the NEF that the sensing data has been received (Notification Acknowledge).

[0075] <Example of operation: billing process> FIG. 5 shows the process executed by BD13 (Billing Domain; charging device). 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the billing process related to the provision and use of sensing measurement data. The example in Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the billing process when the incentive payment amount to the user of the data providing UE is determined according to the data usage record.

[0076] In step S51, the BD 13 obtains a CDR from the CHF 11m. The provision of the CDR from the CHF 11m to the BD 13, in other words, the reception process of the CDR from the CHF 11m by the BD 13, may be performed periodically or may be performed based on a transmission request from the BD 13.

[0077] The following processing from step S52 onwards is performed for each acquired CDR.

[0078] In step S52, the BD 13 determines whether the CDR is related to data usage. If the CDR is related to data usage, the process proceeds to step S54. For ease of explanation, a CDR related to data usage will also be referred to as a data usage CDR below.

[0079] In step S53, the BD 13 identifies, from among the acquired CDRs, a CDR having the same object identifier (Object ID) as the CDR currently being processed. For the sake of explanation, the CDR related to data provision will also be referred to as the data provision CDR. By identifying the data provision CDR, the UE 2 that provided the data used by the AF 12 (or the data used to process the data) can be identified. Note that the BD 13 may obtain the corresponding CDR at this point by querying the CHF 11m, instead of searching for the corresponding data provision CDR from the CDRs that have already been obtained.

[0080] In step S54, the BD13 calculates the amount of payment to the UE2 that provided the data. The amount of payment may be determined, for example, according to the reliability of the provided sensing data, specifically the reliability included in the data provision CDR. The amount of payment may also be determined based on other parameters such as the importance and rarity of the sensing data. The amount of payment may also be determined based on the contribution of the UE2 in providing the data to the AF12. The contribution of the UE2 may be determined, for example, by the contribution ratio of the data provided by the UE2 to the data used in creating the data to be provided to the AF12. The contribution ratio may be determined as the ratio of the sensing data provided by the UE2 to the sensing data used in creating the data. This ratio may be a ratio based on a simple number, or may be a weighted ratio (weighted ratio) using a weight based on at least one of reliability, rarity, and importance.

[0081] In step S55, the BD 13 calculates the amount to be charged to the user of the AF 12 who used the data. The amount to be charged may be determined, for example, according to the reliability of the sensing data, or may be a fixed amount.

[0082] In step S56, the BD 13 executes payment processing for the UE 2 and billing processing for the AF 12.

[0083] The incentive payment amount may be determined by a procedure other than the above. For example, an incentive may be paid if the provided data meets a predetermined standard, regardless of the data usage record. In this case, the payment amount may be a fixed amount or may vary depending on the degree of compliance with the standard.

[0084] <Advantageous Effects of the Present Embodiment> According to this embodiment, by storing an object identifier in a CDR related to the provision and use of sensing measurement data, the data usage history is linked to the UE that provided the sensing data. Therefore, it is possible to pay an incentive to the data providing UE (UE2) according to the usage history of the sensing data. In addition, by determining the amount of the incentive (payment amount) according to the reliability of the sensing measurement data, the user of UE2 can receive more reliable data. This will increase motivation to provide accurate sensing measurement data.

[0085] As a result, more and more reliable sensing measurement data can be provided from the user terminal. Obtaining more and more reliable sensing measurement data allows the AF12 to provide more useful services, which also leads to improved convenience for users of the service.

[0086] <Other variations> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be implemented by appropriately modifying it within the scope that does not deviate from the gist thereof.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the data provided and used by the user terminal is assumed to be sensing data measured by the user terminal. However, the data provided and used may be sensing data measured by a device other than the user terminal, or any data other than sensing data.

[0088] In the above embodiment, data is provided to the user terminal by the Subscribe / Notify method, but it may also be provided by the Request / Response method.

[0089] In the above embodiment, an incentive is given for providing data and a fee is charged for data usage, but it is not necessary to charge a fee for data usage. If a fee for data usage is not charged, it is not necessary to generate a CDR for data usage (step S30). However, it is preferable to generate a CDR for data usage in order to grant an incentive according to the data usage history. If only an incentive according to the data usage history is to be granted, it is not necessary to identify the user terminal that used the data, and therefore the data usage CDR does not need to include an identifier of the second user terminal.

[0090] The present disclosure can also be realized by providing a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a Blu-ray disk), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 2: User Equipment (UE) 11m: CHF (Charging Function) 11n:SENSING (Sensing Function) 12: AF (Application Function) 13: BD (Billing Domain)

Claims

1. A network node constituting a wireless communication network, a processor; The processor: receiving a Charging Data Request; generating a Charging Data Record in response to receiving the Charging Data Request; Run The billing data record includes a data identifier for the data provided by the data providing device. A network node characterized by:

2. generating said billing data record by: generating a first billing data record including a data identifier for the data provided by the data providing device and an identifier for the data providing device; generating a second billing data record including a data identifier for the data utilized by the data utilization device; 2. The network node of claim 1, comprising:

3. 3. The network node of claim 2, wherein the second billing data record further includes an identifier of the data utilizing device.

4. 2. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the data is sensing data obtained by sensing performed by the data providing device.

5. The network node according to claim 4 , wherein the identifier of the data is an identifier of an object included in the sensing data.

6. 2. The network node of claim 1, wherein each of the charging data request and the charging data record further includes an importance of the data.

7. 2. The network node of claim 1, wherein each of the charging data request and the charging data record further includes a reliability of the data.

8. 2. The network node of claim 1, wherein the charging data request and the charging data record each further include a rarity of the data.

9. 2. The network node of claim 1, wherein the processor transmits the charging data records to a charging domain periodically or in response to a request.

10. An information processing system including a network node and a charging domain, The network node receives a Charging Data Request. a processor configured to generate a Charging Data Record in response to receiving the Charging Data Request and to transmit the Charging Data Record to the Charging Domain; the charging domain has a processor for receiving the charging data records and for performing billing or payment processing based on the charging data records; The billing data record includes a data identifier for the data provided by the data providing device. An information processing system comprising:

11. generating said billing data record by: generating a first billing data record including a data identifier for the data provided by the data providing device and an identifier for the data providing device; generating a second billing data record including a data identifier for the data utilized by the data utilization device; 11. The information processing system according to claim 10, further comprising:

12. 12. The information processing system of claim 11, wherein the second billing data record further includes an identifier of the data utilizing device.

13. 11. The information processing system according to claim 10, wherein the processor of the billing domain executes a payment process for a user of the data providing device.

14. The processor of the charging domain: receiving a first billing data record relating to the provision of data by the data providing device and a second billing data record relating to the use of data by the data using device; a payment process to a user of the data providing device that provided the data of the data identifier based on the data identifier included in the second billing data record; 14. The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein the information processing system executes the following.

15. each of the charging data request and the charging data record further includes at least one of an importance level, a reliability level, and a rarity level of the data; In the payment processing, a payment amount is made according to at least one of the importance, reliability, and rarity of the data.

15. The information processing system according to claim 14.

16. An information processing method executed by a network node constituting a wireless communication network, receiving a Charging Data Request; generating a Charging Data Record in response to receiving the Charging Data Request; Including, The billing data record includes a data identifier for the data provided by the data providing device. Information processing methods.

17. A computer program product for causing a computer to execute the steps of the method according to claim 16.

18. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute the steps of the method according to claim 16.

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