5G I-SMF Usage Reporting Directly to CHF After SMF Failures
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a 5G communications system, when the Intermediate-Session Management Function (I-SMF) and Session Management Function (SMF) experience link failures or message transmission failures, the I-SMF cannot report usage information of the User Plane Function (UPF) to the Charging Function (CHF), leading to a loss of usage records and financial losses for operators.
Innovation Solution
The I-SMF acquires address information of the CHF entity and a session charging identifier, receives usage information from the managed UPF, and reports it directly to the CHF, bypassing the SMF, enabling the CHF to count usage information accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the I-SMF reports usage information through the SMF to the CHF, then the system follows the standard hierarchical architecture, but link failures or message transmission failures between I-SMF and SMF cause loss of usage records
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a backup reporting path where the I-SMF can directly report to the CHF as an intermediary solution when the primary path through SMF fails. This dual-path architecture ensures that usage information reaches the CHF reliably even when the standard hierarchical path is disrupted by link failures or message transmission errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary error detection mechanisms that monitor the communication link between I-SMF and SMF. When failures are detected, the system preemptively switches to the direct reporting path before usage record loss occurs, ensuring continuous reliable reporting without waiting for complete path failure.
2Reliability
If the I-SMF directly reports to the CHF bypassing the SMF, then usage reporting reliability is improved, but the system deviates from the standard hierarchical architecture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic reporting architecture where the I-SMF can adaptively switch between the standard hierarchical path (through SMF) and the direct path (to CHF) based on real-time link status and message transmission success. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to maintain reliability while preserving compatibility with the standard architecture under normal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the reporting path parameter dynamically - using the SMF as intermediary under normal conditions and bypassing it when failures occur. This parameter change enables the system to achieve high reliability through direct reporting while maintaining architectural versatility by defaulting to the standard hierarchical approach.
3Reliability
If the I-SMF stores CHF address information and session charging identifier locally, then direct reporting capability is enabled, but the I-SMF needs additional storage and management functions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the I-SMF acquire and store CHF address information and session charging identifiers in advance, during initial system setup or first interaction with the CHF. This preliminary data collection enables the I-SMF to independently report usage information directly to the CHF without needing to query the SMF each time, thereby enabling reliable independent reporting while limiting the increase in functional complexity to a one-time setup operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a method for reporting usage, an Intermediate-Session Management Function (I-SMF) entity, a CHarging Function (CHF) entity, a Session Management Function (SMF) entity, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The method for reporting usage may include: acquiring address information of a CHarging Function (CHF) entity and a session charging identifier; receiving usage information reported by a managed User Plane Function (UPF) entity; and reporting the usage information and the session charging identifier to the CHF entity according to the address information of the CHF entity, so that the CHF entity counts the usage information in a fee of a corresponding user according to the session charging identifier.