Communication method and apparatus, and communication device, storage medium and computer program product

Abstract

The present application relates to a communication method and apparatus, and a communication device, a storage medium and a computer program product. The method comprises: receiving a charging data request sent by a device direct discovery management function, the charging data request carrying multi-hop ProSe information; and generating CDR data, the CDR data comprising the multi-hop ProSe information.

Description

Communication methods, devices, communication equipment, storage media and computer program products

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 2024119534644, filed on December 27, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus, Communication Equipment, Storage Medium and Computer Program Product", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of wireless communication and terminal technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, communication device, storage medium, and computer program product. Background Technology

[0004] With the development of 5G networks, ProSe (Proximity Services) technology has emerged, primarily used to enhance direct communication between devices. It has broad application prospects in public safety, connected vehicles, social networks, and the Internet of Things (IoT). ProSe, through direct device-to-device communication, demonstrates superior performance in reducing signal transmission latency, decreasing reliance on the core network, and conserving network resources. For example, terminal devices can access 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) networks via ProSe technology, or through multi-hop ProSe technology. Traditional billing systems default to using standard ProSe technology for terminal devices accessing the network, leading to lower accuracy in billing data. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method applied to a billing function, the method comprising:

[0006] The receiving device direct discovery management function sends a billing data request, which carries multi-hop ProSe information;

[0007] Generate CDR data, which includes the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0008] In one embodiment, the billing data request carries ProSe information, which in turn carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0009] In one embodiment, the billing data request carries service information, the service information carries ProSe information, and the ProSe information carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0010] In one embodiment, the multi-hop ProSe information includes multi-hop communication indication information, the number of multi-hop terminals, the multi-hop terminal topology, and one or more items from the multi-hop terminal list.

[0011] In one embodiment, the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals. The number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or relay terminals through which the terminal's ProSe direct communication passes. The multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the network accessed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication.

[0012] In one embodiment, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including terminal hop count and / or terminal identifier.

[0013] In one embodiment, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, wherein the relay terminal information includes a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

[0014] In one embodiment, the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier. The first identifier is used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0015] In one embodiment, the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0016] In one embodiment, the device direct discovery management function sends the billing data request when a trigger condition is met. The trigger condition is that the device direct discovery management function receives a reporting message. The reporting message is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting condition is met, and the reporting message includes resource usage information.

[0017] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0018] Send the response message corresponding to the billing data request to the device direct discovery management function.

[0019] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0020] A transmission message for the CDR data is sent to the billing field, the transmission message for the CDR data carrying the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0021] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applied to a device direct discovery and management function, the method comprising:

[0022] A billing data request is sent to the billing function. The billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information to instruct the billing function to generate CDR data, which contains multi-hop ProSe information.

[0023] In one embodiment, sending the billing data request to the billing function includes:

[0024] If a reporting message is received, it is determined that the triggering condition is met, and a billing data request is sent to the billing function; the reporting message includes resource usage information, and the reporting message is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting condition is met.

[0025] In one embodiment, the multi-hop ProSe information includes multi-hop communication indication information, the number of multi-hop terminals, the multi-hop terminal topology, and one or more items from the multi-hop terminal list.

[0026] In one embodiment, the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals. The number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or relay terminals through which the terminal's ProSe direct communication passes. The multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the network accessed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication.

[0027] In one embodiment, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including terminal hop count and / or terminal identifier.

[0028] In one embodiment, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, wherein the relay terminal information includes a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

[0029] In one embodiment, the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier. The first identifier is used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0030] In one embodiment, the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0031] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device for use in a billing function, the device comprising:

[0032] The first receiving module is used to receive a billing data request sent by the device direct discovery management function, wherein the billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information;

[0033] The first generation module is used to generate CDR data, which includes the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0034] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device for direct device discovery and management functions, the device comprising:

[0035] The first sending module is used to send a billing data request to the billing function. The billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information so that the billing function can generate CDR data, and the CDR data contains multi-hop ProSe information.

[0036] Fifthly, this application provides a communication system including device direct discovery management function and billing function;

[0037] The device direct discovery management function is used to send a billing data request to the billing function, and the billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information;

[0038] The billing function is used to receive the billing data request and generate CDR data, the CDR data including the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0039] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device, including: a processor and a receiver;

[0040] The receiver is used to receive billing data requests sent by the device direct discovery management function, wherein the billing data requests carry multi-hop ProSe information;

[0041] The processor is configured to generate CDR data, which includes the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0042] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the methods described in the first and second aspects above.

[0043] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the methods described in the first and second aspects above.

[0044] Details of one or more embodiments of this application are set forth in the following drawings and description. Other features, objects, and advantages of this application will become apparent from the specification, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 is an application environment diagram of a communication method in one embodiment;

[0046] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method in one embodiment;

[0047] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method in another embodiment;

[0048] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the communication architecture applied to the communication method in one embodiment;

[0049] Figure 5 is a signaling diagram of a communication method in one embodiment;

[0050] Figure 6 is a structural block diagram of a communication device in one embodiment;

[0051] Figure 7 is a structural block diagram of the communication device in another embodiment;

[0052] Figure 8 is an internal structure diagram of a communication device in one embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0053] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0054] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, in this scenario, there is a first user terminal 100, a second user terminal 200, a device direct discovery management function 300, and a billing function 400. The first user terminal 100 and the second user terminal 200 transmit data through a network, the first user terminal 100 and the device direct discovery management function 300 transmit data through a network, and the device direct discovery management function 300 transmits data with the billing function 400 through a network.

[0055] The first user terminal 100 and the second terminal 200 can be wireless terminals. A wireless terminal can be a device that provides voice and / or other service data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. The wireless terminal can communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN). The wireless terminal can be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) or a computer with a mobile terminal, for example, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile device. They exchange voice and / or data with the radio access network. The wireless terminal can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, remote station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, or user equipment, without limitation herein.

[0056] In traditional technologies, ProSe (Proximity Services) is used to enhance direct communication between devices and has broad application prospects in various fields. ProSe reduces signal transmission latency through direct device-to-device communication. With technological advancements, multi-hop ProSe communication has emerged, achieving wider communication coverage through forwarding between multiple devices, allowing users to maintain connectivity over a greater area. In practical implementations, multiple terminal devices can access the network independently. Terminal A can access the network using multi-hop ProSe technology, while terminal B can access the network using ordinary ProSe. Traditional billing systems, when generating billing data for each terminal device, assume that both terminal A and terminal B are using ordinary ProSe technology, failing to recognize that terminal B is using multi-hop ProSe technology. This leads to reduced accuracy in calculating billing data for terminal devices in traditional billing systems.

[0057] In other words, traditional billing systems cannot identify when a terminal uses non-standard ProSe technology, nor can they identify the number of relay terminals the terminal traverses or the path the terminal takes to access the network. The communication method disclosed herein, based on multi-hop ProSe information added to the billing data request, can effectively indicate the device's communication path and the communication method used, further improving the comprehensiveness of the data carried in the billing data request. This allows the operator's network to effectively monitor the terminal's resource consumption, generate accurate billing data, and further enhance the user experience.

[0058] It should be noted that the beneficial effects or technical problems solved by the embodiments of this application are not limited to this one, but may also be other implicit or related problems. For details, please refer to the description of the embodiments below.

[0059] Before introducing the specific embodiments of this application, the technical terms involved in this application will be explained:

[0060] ProSe (Proximity Services): Short-range communication services for devices.

[0061] CHF (Charging Function): Billing function.

[0062] CDR (Charging Data Record): Billing data record.

[0063] BD (Billing Domain): Billing Domain.

[0064] UE (User equipment): Terminal equipment.

[0065] DDNMF (Direct Discovery Name Management Function): Device Direct Discovery Management Unit.

[0066] CTF (Charging Trigger Function): Charging trigger function unit.

[0067] The technical solution of this application and how the technical solution of this application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments. The embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0068] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2, a communication method is provided. Taking the application of this method to the billing function in FIG1 as an example, the method includes the following steps:

[0069] Step 202: Receive the billing data request sent by the device direct discovery management function.

[0070] In this disclosure, the billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information; different terminals can initiate a direct communication process; the device direct discovery management function (DDNMF) can be co-located with the charging trigger function (CTF); after the triggering conditions are met, the DDNMF can send the billing data request to the billing function; the billing data request carries at least multi-hop ProSe information.

[0071] Specifically, if DDNMF receives a report message from the terminal, it can determine that the triggering condition is met. In other words, the event of DDNMF receiving a report message from the terminal triggers DDNMF to send a charging data request to the charging function. The multi-hop ProSe information carried in the charging data request is related to the ProSe service. Therefore, DDNMF receiving a report message from the terminal is the triggering event for DDNMF to send a charging data request to the charging function.

[0072] Step 204: Generate CDR data, which includes multi-hop ProSe information.

[0073] In this disclosure, the billing function can receive billing data requests sent by DDNMF and generate CDR data; correspondingly, the CDR data also carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0074] Optionally, the billing function can receive a billing data request sent by DDNMF and generate CDR data based on the billing data request; alternatively, the billing function can receive a billing data request sent by DDNMF and parse the billing data request to obtain the multi-hop ProSe information carried in the billing data request, and the billing function generates CDR data based on the multi-hop ProSe information; correspondingly, the CDR data carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0075] In the above communication method, the receiving device directly discovers and manages the billing data request sent by the management function. This billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information. CDR data is generated, which includes the multi-hop ProSe information. By adopting this method, the multi-hop ProSe information added to the billing data request effectively indicates the device's communication path and the communication method used, improving the comprehensiveness of the data carried in the billing data request. This enables the operator network to effectively monitor the terminal's resource consumption, generate accurate billing data, and also improve the user experience.

[0076] In some embodiments, the billing data request carries ProSe information, which in turn carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0077] In this disclosure, the billing data request sent by DDNMF to the billing function may carry a ProSe information field, which may include a field containing multi-hop ProSe information.

[0078] In this embodiment, by carrying ProSe information in the billing data request and by carrying multi-hop ProSe information in the ProSe information, multi-level nesting of information is achieved. Multi-hop ProSe information is added to indicate the type of ProSe used by the terminal, so that the billing system can efficiently and accurately identify the terminal accessing the network through the multi-hop ProSe method.

[0079] In some embodiments, the billing data request carries service information, the service information carries ProSe information, and the ProSe information carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0080] In this disclosure, the billing data request sent by DDNMF to the billing function may carry a service information field, which may include a ProSe information field, and the ProSe information field may include a multi-hop ProSe information field.

[0081] In this embodiment, by carrying service information in the billing data request, carrying ProSe information in the service information, and carrying multi-hop ProSe information in the ProSe information, multi-layer nesting of information is achieved. Multi-hop ProSe information is added to indicate the type of ProSe used by the terminal, enabling the billing system to efficiently and accurately identify the terminal accessing the network through the multi-hop ProSe method.

[0082] In some embodiments, the multi-hop ProSe information includes multi-hop communication indication information, the number of multi-hop terminals, the multi-hop terminal topology, and one or more of the multi-hop terminal list.

[0083] In this disclosure, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, or it can also be used to indicate the type of ProSe communication of the terminal; the number of multi-hop terminals can be used to characterize the number of terminals traversed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication or the number of relay terminals; the multi-hop terminal topology characterizes the path of the relay terminals traversed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, optionally including one or more relay terminal information; optionally, the multi-hop terminal list may also include hop counts and the identification information of the relay terminal to which each hop count is located.

[0084] Optionally, the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. If the multi-hop ProSe information carries the multi-hop communication indication information, then DCNMF can determine that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. If the multi-hop ProSe information does not carry the multi-hop communication indication information, then DCNMF can determine that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and may be, for example, ordinary ProSe direct communication.

[0085] In this embodiment, the information carried in the multi-hop ProSe information is further defined. The multi-hop ProSe information is information directly related to the multi-hop ProSe communication, which enriches the types of data carried in the multi-hop ProSe information and provides a reliable data foundation for the subsequent generation of accurate billing data.

[0086] In some embodiments, the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals. The number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or relay terminals through which the terminal's ProSe direct communication passes. The multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the network accessed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication.

[0087] In this disclosure, the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. In this case, the terminal accesses the network through multiple terminals / relay terminals. The Relay Number represents the number of terminals or relay terminals that the terminal passes through to access the network. The Hop Number is also used to represent the number of terminals or relay terminals that the terminal passes through to access the network. When the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, the multi-hop terminal topology indicates the path UE-to-network relay array that the terminal passes through to access the network.

[0088] Optionally, the arrangement order of the multi-hop terminal topology may include an arrangement from the direction of the remote UE to the direction of the network, or an arrangement from the direction of the network to the direction of the remote UE.

[0089] In some embodiments, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including a terminal hop count and / or a terminal identifier; or, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, the relay terminal information including a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

[0090] In this disclosure, the multi-hop terminal list can be used to represent each terminal traversed along the path from the terminal to the access network, the terminal's identifier, or each relay terminal traversed and its identifier. For example, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information entries, each including a terminal hop count and the identifier of the terminal traversed during that hop count. For instance, the terminal information could be a terminal {hop count hop-counter, terminal identifier UE ID}. Similarly, the multi-hop terminal list can include multiple one or more relay terminal information entries, each including a relay terminal hop count and the identifier of the relay terminal traversed during that hop count. For instance, the relay terminal information could be a relay terminal hop count hop-counter, relay terminal identifier relay UE ID}. The terminal identifier can be the terminal's IP address, and the relay terminal identifier can be the relay terminal's IP address, etc.

[0091] In this embodiment, effective communication path information and hop count information with the terminal are added to the multi-hop ProSe information, clarifying the specific mobile path situation when the terminal is conducting multi-hop ProSe communication. Based on the specific mobile path situation, the billing information is enhanced. The operator network can analyze the terminal's behavioral preferences more accurately based on the enhanced information, obtain accurate billing data, and further improve the user experience.

[0092] In some embodiments, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier. The first identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0093] In this disclosure, multi-hop communication indication information can be used to indicate the type of ProSe communication of the terminal. For example, the multi-hop communication indication information can indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, or it can indicate that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0094] Optionally, the field carried by the multi-hop communication indication information can be a first identifier, which can determine that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication; or, the field carried by the multi-hop communication indication information can be a second identifier, which can determine that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication, for example, the current terminal's communication can be ordinary direct communication.

[0095] In this embodiment, an indication information related to the type of ProSe communication of the terminal is added to the multi-hop ProSe information, which realizes accurate indication of the ProSe communication type of the terminal. The operator network can more accurately analyze the terminal's behavioral preferences and obtain accurate billing data.

[0096] In some embodiments, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal’s communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0097] In this disclosure, multi-hop communication indication information can be used to indicate that the ProSe communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0098] Optionally, the multi-hop ProSe information may carry multi-hop communication indication information, in which case it can be determined that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication; or, the multi-hop ProSe information may not carry multi-hop communication indication information, in which case it can be determined that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication, for example, it can be determined that the current terminal's communication is ordinary direct communication.

[0099] In this embodiment, an indication information related to the type of ProSe communication of the terminal is added to the multi-hop ProSe information, which realizes an accurate indication of the ProSe communication type of the terminal, and the operator network can analyze the terminal's behavioral preferences more accurately.

[0100] In some embodiments, the device direct discovery management function sends a billing data request when a trigger condition is met. The trigger condition is that the device direct discovery management function receives a reporting message. The reporting message is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting condition is met, and the reporting message includes resource usage information.

[0101] In this disclosure, a terminal can initiate a Direct Communication process with other terminals; for example, a first terminal can initiate a Direct Communication process with a second terminal. The terminal can detect whether reporting conditions are met based on reporting configuration information. This reporting configuration information can be custom reporting configuration information, i.e., usage reporting configuration information. This custom reporting configuration information can be pre-configured on the terminal, or the PCF can send this custom reporting configuration information to the terminal. The custom reporting configuration information carries preset conditions. If the terminal detects that the preset conditions carried in the custom reporting configuration information are met, it can determine that the terminal has detected that the reporting conditions are met. Based on this, the terminal can generate a reporting message based on resource usage information, and the terminal can report this reporting message to the DDNMF. This reporting message can be usage information.

[0102] Upon receiving a report message from the terminal, DDNMF can determine that the triggering conditions are met. After confirming that the triggering conditions are met, DDNMF can send a billing data request to the billing function. Optionally, the event of DDNMF receiving a report message from the terminal triggers DDNMF to send a billing data request to the billing function.

[0103] In this embodiment, the terminal can detect in real time whether the reporting conditions are met, thereby improving the timeliness of sending billing data requests.

[0104] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes:

[0105] Send the response message corresponding to the billing data request to the device direct discovery management function.

[0106] In this disclosure, the billing function can receive a billing data request sent by the DDNMF. The billing function can generate CDR data based on the multi-hop ProSe information in the billing data request. The CDR data includes the multi-hop ProSe information. Optionally, the billing function can send a response message of the billing data request to the DDNMF.

[0107] In this embodiment, the received billing data requests can be responded to in a timely manner, ensuring the integrity of the communication process.

[0108] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes:

[0109] Send a CDR data transfer message to the billing field. The CDR data transfer message carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0110] In this disclosure, after the billing function generates CDR data, it can send the CDR data to the billing field (BD). Optionally, the billing function can send a transmission message for the CDR data to the billing field, and this transmission message can carry multi-hop ProSe information. The billing field can receive the transmission message for the CDR data and parse it to obtain the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0111] Optionally, the CDR data transmission message is used to enable the billing field to generate a billing invoice. That is, the billing field can generate a billing invoice for the terminal based on multi-hop ProSe information.

[0112] In this embodiment, the billing field can accurately identify whether the terminal is based on multi-hop ProSe communication. When generating the terminal's billing bill, the factor of multi-hop ProSe communication is taken into account, which can better monitor the terminal's network resource consumption and further improve the accuracy of the generated billing bill.

[0113] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, a communication method is provided. Taking the application of this method to the device direct discovery management function in FIG1 as an example, the method includes the following steps:

[0114] Step 302: Send a billing data request to the billing function.

[0115] The billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information to enable the billing function to generate CDR data, which contains multi-hop ProSe information.

[0116] In this disclosure, the Device Direct Discovery Management (DDNMF) function may be co-located with the Charging Trigger Function (CTF). The DDNMF can generate a charging data request and send it to the charging function. This charging data request carries multi-hop ProSe information, which is information related to the ProSe service.

[0117] Optionally, the billing function can receive billing data requests sent by DDNMF and generate CDR data; correspondingly, the CDR data also carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0118] In one example, the billing function can receive a billing data request sent by DDNMF and generate CDR data based on the billing data request; in another example, the billing function can receive a billing data request sent by DDNMF and parse the billing data request to obtain the multi-hop ProSe information carried in the billing data request; the billing function can generate CDR data based on the multi-hop ProSe information; correspondingly, the CDR data also carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0119] Optionally, the billing data request carries ProSe information, which in turn carries multi-hop ProSe information. That is, the billing data request sent by DDNMF to the billing function can carry a field of ProSe information, and this ProSe information field can carry a field of multi-hop ProSe information.

[0120] In this embodiment, the multi-hop ProSe information that can be added to the billing data request can effectively indicate the communication path of the device and the communication method used, improve the comprehensiveness of the data carried in the billing data request, enable the operator network to effectively monitor the terminal's resource consumption, generate accurate billing data, and also improve the user experience.

[0121] In some embodiments, the step "send billing data request to the billing function" may include:

[0122] If a reporting message is received, the triggering conditions are determined to be met, and a billing data request is sent to the billing function. The reporting message includes resource usage information and is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting conditions have been met.

[0123] In this disclosure, a terminal can initiate a direct communication process with other terminals; for example, a first terminal can initiate a direct communication process with a second terminal. The terminal can detect whether reporting conditions are met based on reporting configuration information. This reporting configuration information can be custom reporting configuration information, i.e., usage reporting configuration information. This custom reporting configuration information can be pre-configured on the terminal, or the PCF can send this custom reporting configuration information to the terminal. The custom reporting configuration information carries preset conditions. If the terminal detects that the preset conditions carried in the custom reporting configuration information are met, it can be determined that the terminal has detected that the reporting conditions are met. Based on this, the terminal can generate a reporting message based on resource usage information, and the terminal can report this reporting message to the DDNMF. This reporting message can be usage information.

[0124] In this way, when DDNMF receives the reported message from the terminal, it can determine that the triggering conditions are met. After determining that the triggering conditions are met, DDNMF can send a billing data request to the billing function. Optionally, the event of DDNMF receiving the reported message from the terminal triggers DDNMF to send a billing data request to the billing function.

[0125] In this embodiment, the terminal can detect in real time whether the reporting conditions are met, thereby improving the timeliness of sending billing data requests.

[0126] In some embodiments, the multi-hop ProSe information includes multi-hop communication indication information, the number of multi-hop terminals, the multi-hop terminal topology, and one or more of the multi-hop terminal list.

[0127] In this disclosure, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, or it can also be used to indicate the type of ProSe communication of the terminal; the number of multi-hop terminals can be used to characterize the number of terminals traversed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication or the number of relay terminals; the multi-hop terminal topology characterizes the path of the relay terminals traversed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, optionally including one or more relay terminal information; optionally, the multi-hop terminal list may also include hop counts and the identification information of the relay terminal to which each hop count is located.

[0128] Optionally, the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. If the multi-hop ProSe information carries the multi-hop communication indication information, then DCNMF can determine that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. If the multi-hop ProSe information does not carry the multi-hop communication indication information, then DCNMF can determine that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and may be, for example, ordinary ProSe direct communication.

[0129] In this embodiment, the information carried in the multi-hop ProSe information is further defined. The multi-hop ProSe information is information directly related to the multi-hop ProSe communication, which enriches the types of data carried in the multi-hop ProSe information and provides a reliable data foundation for the subsequent generation of accurate billing data.

[0130] In some embodiments, the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals. The number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or relay terminals through which the terminal's ProSe direct communication passes. The multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the network accessed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication.

[0131] In this disclosure, the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. In this case, the terminal accesses the network through multiple terminals / relay terminals. The Relay Number represents the number of terminals or relay terminals that the terminal passes through to access the network. The Hop Number is also used to represent the number of terminals or relay terminals that the terminal passes through to access the network. When the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, the multi-hop terminal topology indicates the path UE-to-network relay array that the terminal passes through to access the network.

[0132] Optionally, the arrangement order of the multi-hop terminal topology may include an arrangement from the direction of the remote UE to the direction of the network, or an arrangement from the direction of the network to the direction of the remote UE.

[0133] In some embodiments, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including a terminal hop count and / or a terminal identifier; or, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, the relay terminal information including a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

[0134] In this disclosure, the multi-hop terminal list can be used to represent each terminal traversed along the path from the terminal to the access network, the terminal's identifier, or each relay terminal traversed and its identifier. For example, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information entries, each including a terminal hop count and the identifier of the terminal traversed during that hop count. For instance, the terminal information could be a terminal {hop count hop-counter, terminal identifier UE ID}. Similarly, the multi-hop terminal list can include multiple one or more relay terminal information entries, each including a relay terminal hop count and the identifier of the relay terminal traversed during that hop count. For instance, the relay terminal information could be a relay terminal hop count hop-counter, relay terminal identifier relay UE ID}. The terminal identifier can be the terminal's IP address, and the relay terminal identifier can be the relay terminal's IP address, etc.

[0135] In this embodiment, effective communication path information and hop count information with the terminal are added to the multi-hop ProSe information, clarifying the specific mobile path situation when the terminal is conducting multi-hop ProSe communication. Based on the specific mobile path situation, the billing information is enhanced. The operator network can analyze the terminal's behavioral preferences more accurately based on the enhanced information, obtain accurate billing data, and further improve the user experience.

[0136] In some embodiments, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier. The first identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0137] In this disclosure, multi-hop communication indication information can be used to indicate the type of ProSe communication of a terminal. For example, based on the multi-hop communication indication information, it can indicate that the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, or it can indicate that the communication of the terminal is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0138] Optionally, the field carried by the multi-hop communication indication information can be a first identifier, which can determine that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication; or, the field carried by the multi-hop communication indication information can be a second identifier, which can determine that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication, for example, the current terminal's communication can be ordinary direct communication.

[0139] In this embodiment, an indication information related to the type of ProSe communication of the terminal is added to the multi-hop ProSe information, which realizes accurate indication of the ProSe communication type of the terminal. The operator network can more accurately analyze the terminal's behavioral preferences and obtain accurate billing data.

[0140] In some embodiments, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal’s communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0141] In this disclosure, multi-hop communication indication information can be used to indicate that the ProSe communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0142] Optionally, the multi-hop ProSe information may carry multi-hop communication indication information, in which case it can be determined that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication; or, the multi-hop ProSe information may not carry multi-hop communication indication information, in which case it can be determined that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication, for example, it can be determined that the current terminal's communication is ordinary direct communication.

[0143] In this embodiment, an indication information related to the type of ProSe communication of the terminal is added to the multi-hop ProSe information, which realizes an accurate indication of the ProSe communication type of the terminal, and the operator network can analyze the terminal's behavioral preferences more accurately.

[0144] In some embodiments, this application also provides a communication system including a device direct discovery management function and a billing function. The device direct discovery management function is used to send a billing data request to the billing function, the billing data request carrying multi-hop ProSe information; the billing function is used to receive the billing data request and generate CDR data, the CDR data including the multi-hop ProSe information. Other limitations regarding the device direct discovery management function and the billing function can be found in the descriptions of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0145] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4, a communication architecture applying the communication method provided in this disclosure can be described, comprising terminal A, terminal B, relay terminals, NG-RAN base station, Data Network, DDNMF, Charging Function (CHF), and Billing Domain (BD). Terminal A can access the network through three relay terminals, and terminal B can access the network through two relay terminals. The terminals are 5G ProSe-enabled terminals, and the relay terminals are 5G ProSe Intermediate UE-to-Network Relays.

[0146] Optionally, the terminal sends messages to the relay terminal via the PC5 interface; multiple relay terminals also transmit messages to each other via the PC5 interface; the relay terminal transmits messages to the base station via the Uu interface; the base station transmits messages to the data network via the N6 interface; the terminal transmits messages to the DDNMF via the PC3 interface; the DDNMF transmits messages to the CHF via the Rf interface; and the CHF transmits messages to the billing domain BD via the Bx interface.

[0147] The communication method provided in this disclosure can be a multi-hop ProSe billing data generation method. In some embodiments, DDNMF adds multi-hop ProSe information to the billing data request, which can add multi-hop indication information and / or valid communication path and / or device location information on the valid communication path. This enables the operator's billing system CHF to generate accurate billing data. Subsequently, the operator effectively monitors the network resource consumption of multi-hop ProSe users based on the billing data and promptly reports the network resource consumption of multi-hop ProSe users to the operator's billing system BD. BD can then promptly generate accurate billing invoices for user terminals based on the reported information.

[0148] Figure 5 provides a signaling interaction flowchart for a communication method. As shown in Figure 5, it includes terminal 1, terminal 2, 5G DDNMF, CHF, and BD, where DDNMF is co-located with CTF; the method includes the following steps:

[0149] Prerequisite: A direct communication process has been initiated between UE1 and UE2.

[0150] Step 1: UE1 detects that the reporting conditions are met.

[0151] Step 2: The UE reports resource usage information to the DDNMF. Specifically, the UE sends a reporting message to the DDNMF, which carries the resource usage information.

[0152] Step 3a: The DDNMF sends a charging data request to the CHF. Specifically, the DDNMF receives a reporting message, triggering the DDNMF to send a charging data request to the CHF, which carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0153] Optionally, the multi-hop ProSe information is information related to the ProSe service, including multi-hop communication indication information, which indicates that the communication of the terminal accessing the network is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop ProSe information also carries the number of multi-hop terminals, which indicates the number of relays traversed in the ProSe direct communication.

[0154] Step 3b: CHF generates CDR data based on the received billing data request. Specifically, CHF generates CDR data based on the multi-hop ProSe information in the received Request message. The CDR data includes multi-hop communication indication information and the number of multi-hop terminals.

[0155] Step 3c: CHF sends a response message to DDNMF requesting billing data.

[0156] Step 4: CHF sends a CDR data transfer message to BD, that is, CHF sends a CDRdata transfer message to BD. This message is used to transfer the CDR data generated in Step 3b, which is used by BD to generate a billing bill.

[0157] In some embodiments, a communication method is also provided, the method comprising the following steps:

[0158] Prerequisite: A direct communication process has been initiated between UE1 and UE2.

[0159] Step 1: UE1 detects that the reporting conditions are met.

[0160] Step 2: The UE reports resource usage information to the DDNMF. Specifically, the UE sends a reporting message to the DDNMF, which carries the resource usage information.

[0161] Step 3a: The DDNMF sends a charging data request to the CHF. Specifically, the DDNMF receives a reporting message, triggering the DDNMF to send a charging data request to the CHF, which carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0162] Optionally, the multi-hop ProSe information is information related to the ProSe service, including multi-hop communication indication information (Multi-hop Comm.Indication), which indicates that the communication of the terminal accessing the network is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop ProSe information also carries a multi-hop terminal topology UE-to-network relay array or a multi-hop terminal list UE-to-network relay list. The multi-hop topology terminal is used to indicate the path information for accessing the network in the ProSe direct communication. The element group in the multi-hop terminal list includes a hop count and a relay UE ID corresponding to the hop count.

[0163] Step 3b: CHF generates CDR data. Specifically, CHF generates CDR data based on the multi-hop ProSe information in the received Request message. The CDR data includes multi-hop communication indication information; the CDR data may also include multi-hop topology terminals or a list of multi-hop terminals.

[0164] Step 3c: CHF sends a response message to DDNMF requesting billing data.

[0165] Step 4: CHF sends a CDR data transfer message to BD, that is, CHF sends a CDRdata transfer message to BD. This message is used to transfer the CDR data generated in Step 3b, which is used by BD to generate a billing bill.

[0166] The communication method provided in this embodiment defines and adds valid communication paths and / or hop count information of devices on valid communication paths in the ProSe billing information, and promptly reports the above information to the operator's billing system. This enables the operator to effectively monitor the network resource consumption of Multi-hop ProSe users, generate accurate billing data, and, based on the enhanced ProSe information, more accurately analyze user behavior and preferences, optimize service and marketing strategies, and improve user experience. It can also be applied to new scenarios using the multi-hop ProSe method, including vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenarios and augmented reality applications, etc.

[0167] In some examples, Multi-hop ProSe demonstrates significant advantages in coverage, network dependency, reliability, latency, resource efficiency, support for new applications, and security, making it more adaptable and flexible in complex and dynamic communication environments. As Multi-hop ProSe technology becomes more widespread, new business models and services are constantly emerging. Operators can use the communication methods provided in this disclosure to design new billing strategies for these services, improve their revenue management and resource optimization capabilities, enhance user experience and security, and provide reliable and stable data support for emerging markets.

[0168] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowchart of Figure 1-5 are shown sequentially according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless explicitly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some of the steps in Figure 1-5 may include multiple steps or stages, which are not necessarily completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be performed alternately or in turn with other steps or at least some of the steps or stages in other steps.

[0169] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6, a communication device 600 is provided for a billing function, including:

[0170] The first receiving module 602 is used to receive the billing data request sent by the device direct discovery management function. The billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0171] The first generation module 604 is used to generate CDR data, which includes multi-hop ProSe information.

[0172] In one embodiment, the billing data request carries ProSe information, which in turn carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0173] In one embodiment, the billing data request carries service information, the service information carries ProSe information, and the ProSe information carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0174] In one embodiment, the multi-hop ProSe information includes multi-hop communication indication information, the number of multi-hop terminals, the multi-hop terminal topology, and one or more items from the multi-hop terminal list.

[0175] In one embodiment, the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals. The number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or relay terminals through which the terminal's ProSe direct communication passes. The multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the network accessed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication.

[0176] In one embodiment, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including a terminal hop count and / or a terminal identifier; or, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, the relay terminal information including a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

[0177] In one embodiment, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier. The first identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0178] In one embodiment, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal’s communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0179] In one embodiment, the device direct discovery management function sends a billing data request when a trigger condition is met. The trigger condition is that the device direct discovery management function receives a reporting message. The reporting message is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting condition is met, and the reporting message includes resource usage information.

[0180] In one embodiment, the device further includes:

[0181] The second sending module is used to send the response message corresponding to the billing data request to the device direct discovery management function.

[0182] In one embodiment, the device further includes:

[0183] The third sending module is used to send CDR data transmission messages to the billing field. The CDR data transmission messages carry multi-hop ProSe information.

[0184] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7, a communication device 700 is provided for direct device discovery management functions, including:

[0185] The first sending module 702 is used to send a billing data request to the billing function. The billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information so that the billing function can generate CDR data, and the CDR data contains multi-hop ProSe information.

[0186] In one embodiment, the first sending module is specifically used for:

[0187] If a reporting message is received, it is determined that the triggering conditions are met, and a billing data request is sent to the billing function. The reporting message includes resource usage information and is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting conditions are met.

[0188] In one embodiment, the multi-hop ProSe information includes multi-hop communication indication information, the number of multi-hop terminals, the multi-hop terminal topology, and one or more items from the multi-hop terminal list.

[0189] In one embodiment, the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals. The number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or relay terminals through which the terminal's ProSe direct communication passes. The multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the network accessed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication.

[0190] In one embodiment, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including a terminal hop count and / or a terminal identifier; or, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, the relay terminal information including a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

[0191] In one embodiment, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier. The first identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0192] In one embodiment, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal’s communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0193] Specific limitations regarding the communication device can be found in the limitations regarding the communication method above, and will not be repeated here. Each module in the aforementioned communication device can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, or a combination thereof. These modules can be embedded in hardware or independently of the processor in the computer device, or stored in software in the memory of the computer device, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to each module.

[0194] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an access network device provided in an embodiment of this application. The access network device 800 shown in Figure 8 includes at least one processor 801, a memory 802, and at least one network interface 804. The various components in the access network device 800 are coupled together via a bus system 805. It is understood that the bus system 805 is used to implement communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 805 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all buses are labeled as bus system 805 in Figure 8. Furthermore, this embodiment also includes a transceiver 806, which may consist of multiple elements, including a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium.

[0195] It is understood that the memory 802 in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). The memory 802 of the systems and methods described in the embodiments of this application is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0196] In some implementations, memory 802 stores executable modules or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof, such as operating system 8021. Operating system 8021 includes various system programs, such as framework layers, core library layers, and driver layers, used to implement various basic business functions and handle hardware-based tasks.

[0197] In this embodiment of the application, by calling the program or instructions stored in the memory 802, the receiver is configured to receive the billing data request sent by the device direct discovery management function, the billing data request carrying multi-hop ProSe information; the processor is configured to generate CDR data, the CDR data including multi-hop ProSe information.

[0198] In some embodiments, the billing data request carries ProSe information, which in turn carries multi-hop ProSe information.

[0199] In some embodiments, the billing data request carries service information, the service information carries ProSe information, and the ProSe information carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

[0200] In some embodiments, the multi-hop ProSe information includes multi-hop communication indication information, the number of multi-hop terminals, the multi-hop terminal topology, and one or more of the multi-hop terminal list.

[0201] In some embodiments, the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals. The number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or relay terminals through which the terminal's ProSe direct communication passes. The multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the network accessed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication.

[0202] In some embodiments, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including a terminal hop count and / or a terminal identifier; or, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, the relay terminal information including a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

[0203] In some embodiments, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier. The first identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0204] In some embodiments, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal’s communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0205] In some embodiments, the device direct discovery management function sends a billing data request when a trigger condition is met. The trigger condition is that the device direct discovery management function receives a reporting message. The reporting message is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting condition is met, and the reporting message includes resource usage information.

[0206] In some embodiments, the transmitter is used to send a response message corresponding to a billing data request to the device direct discovery management function.

[0207] In some embodiments, the transmitter is also configured to send a transmission message of CDR data to the billing field, the transmission message of CDR data carrying multi-hop ProSe information.

[0208] In this embodiment of the application, by calling the program or instructions stored in the memory 802, the transmitter is used to send a billing data request to the billing function. The billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information so that the billing function can generate CDR data, and the CDR data contains multi-hop ProSe information.

[0209] In some embodiments, the transmitter is specifically used to determine that the triggering condition is met if a reporting message is received, and to send a billing data request to the billing function; the reporting message includes resource usage information, and the reporting message is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting condition is met.

[0210] In some embodiments, the multi-hop ProSe information includes multi-hop communication indication information, the number of multi-hop terminals, the multi-hop terminal topology, and one or more of the multi-hop terminal list.

[0211] In some embodiments, the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals. The number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or relay terminals through which the terminal's ProSe direct communication passes. The multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the network accessed by the terminal's ProSe direct communication.

[0212] In some embodiments, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including a terminal hop count and / or a terminal identifier; or, the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, the relay terminal information including a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

[0213] In some embodiments, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication. The multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier. The first identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the terminal's communication is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0214] In some embodiments, multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal’s communication is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

[0215] The methods disclosed in some or all of the above embodiments of this application can also be applied to processor 801, or implemented by processor 801, or implemented by processor 801 in conjunction with other components (e.g., transceivers). Processor 801 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in processor 801 or by instructions in the form of software. The processor 801 mentioned above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory 802, and processor 801 reads the information in memory 802 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0216] It is understood that the embodiments described in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the processing unit can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units for performing the functions of this application, or combinations thereof.

[0217] For software implementation, the techniques of the embodiments of this application can be implemented through modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions of the embodiments of this application. The software code can be stored in memory and executed by processor 801. The memory can be implemented in processor 801 or external to processor 801.

[0218] In some embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method provided in this embodiment.

[0219] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to implement the steps of the method provided in this embodiment.

[0220] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the computer program can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Any references to memory, storage, databases, or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, or optical storage, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM), etc.

[0221] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0222] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a billing function, the method comprising: The receiving device direct discovery management function sends a billing data request, which carries multi-hop ProSe information; Generate CDR data, which includes the multi-hop ProSe information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the billing data request carries ProSe information, and the ProSe information carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the billing data request carries service information, the service information carries ProSe information, and the ProSe information carries the multi-hop ProSe information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: A transmission message for the CDR data is sent to the billing field, the transmission message for the CDR data carrying the multi-hop ProSe information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the multi-hop ProSe information includes one or more of the following: multi-hop communication indication information, number of multi-hop terminals, multi-hop terminal topology, and multi-hop terminal list.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals, the number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or the number of relay terminals through which the ProSe direct communication of the terminal passes, and the multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the ProSe direct communication access network of the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including terminal hop count and / or terminal identifier.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, the relay terminal information including relay terminal hop count and / or relay terminal identifier.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, the multi-hop communication indication information is a first identifier or a second identifier, the first identifier is used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier is used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device direct discovery management function sends the billing data request when a trigger condition is met, the trigger condition being that the device direct discovery management function receives a reporting message, the reporting message being sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting condition is met, and the reporting message including resource usage information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: Send the response message corresponding to the billing data request to the device direct discovery management function.

13. A communication method applied to a device direct discovery management function, the method comprising: A billing data request is sent to the billing function. The billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information to instruct the billing function to generate CDR data, which contains multi-hop ProSe information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein sending a billing data request to the billing function comprises: If a report message is received, the triggering condition is determined to be met, and a billing data request is sent to the billing function. The reporting message includes resource usage information, and the reporting message is sent by the terminal when it detects that the reporting conditions are met.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the multi-hop ProSe information includes one or more of the following: multi-hop communication indication information, number of multi-hop terminals, multi-hop terminal topology, and multi-hop terminal list.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the number of multi-hop terminals is the number of multi-hop terminals or the number of relay terminals, the number of multi-hop terminals is used to indicate the number of terminals or the number of relay terminals through which the ProSe direct communication of the terminal passes, and the multi-hop terminal topology is used to indicate the path information of the ProSe direct communication access network of the terminal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more terminal information, the terminal information including terminal hop count and / or terminal identifier.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the multi-hop terminal list includes one or more relay terminal information, the relay terminal information including a relay terminal hop count and / or a relay terminal identifier.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate whether the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, the multi-hop communication indication information being a first identifier or a second identifier, the first identifier being used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication, and the second identifier being used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is not multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the multi-hop communication indication information is used to indicate that the communication of the terminal is multi-hop ProSe direct communication.

21. A communication device for use in a billing function, the device comprising: The first receiving module is used to receive a billing data request sent by the device direct discovery management function, wherein the billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information; The first generation module is used to generate CDR data, which includes the multi-hop ProSe information.

22. A communication device for direct device discovery and management functions, the device comprising: The first sending module is used to send a billing data request to the billing function. The billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information and is used to instruct the billing function to generate CDR data. The CDR data contains multi-hop ProSe information.

23. A communication system, comprising device direct discovery management function and billing function; The device direct discovery management function is used to send a billing data request to the billing function, and the billing data request carries multi-hop ProSe information; The billing function is used to receive the billing data request and generate CDR data, the CDR data including the multi-hop ProSe information.

24. A communication device, comprising: Processor and receiver; The receiver is used to receive billing data requests sent by the device direct discovery management function, wherein the billing data requests carry multi-hop ProSe information; The processor is configured to generate CDR data, which includes the multi-hop ProSe information.

25. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

26. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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