Session Management Function Charging Identifier Assignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The 5G communication system's separation of control plane and user plane poses challenges for accurate online charging, as the 4G system's online charging method is not applicable, requiring a new approach to manage and bill for user equipment service traffic across multiple user plane functions.
Innovation Solution
A charging method and device that create sessions with an online charging system for each user plane function, assigning unique session identifiers and a unified charging identifier, and send online charging messages to implement accurate charging, incorporating a charging identifier sequence and network element identifier to ensure uniqueness across the network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the 4G system's online charging method is used in 5G system, then the charging process is simple, but the charging accuracy deteriorates due to control plane and user plane separation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the charging process by creating separate sessions for each User Plane Function (UPF) while maintaining a unified charging identifier. This allows independent session management for control plane and user plane functions, enabling accurate charging despite the architectural separation in 5G systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The Session Management Function (SMF) acts as an intermediary that coordinates between multiple UPFs and the Online Charging System (OCS). It creates and manages charging sessions, assigns identifiers, and sends charging messages, thereby bridging the gap between the separated control and user planes to achieve accurate charging.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sessions are created for multiple UPFs, then the charging accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a unified charging identifier that can be associated with multiple UPF sessions simultaneously. This universal identifier allows the system to manage multiple sessions through a single charging context, reducing the complexity of managing separate charging processes for each UPF while maintaining charging accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple UPF sessions under a single unified charging identifier in the OCS. By combining the management of multiple sessions through one identifier, the system reduces the operational complexity of handling numerous independent charging sessions while preserving the ability to track each UPF's charging separately.
3Reliability
If a unified charging identifier is assigned to multiple sessions, then the charging association is improved, but the identifier uniqueness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the identifier structure by adding a network element identifier dimension to the charging identifier. This creates a hierarchical identifier system where the base charging identifier can be shared across multiple sessions, but the full identifier including the network element component remains unique, thereby maintaining both association and uniqueness.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified charging identifier is nested within a larger identifier structure that includes network element identification. This nested approach allows the inner charging identifier to be reused across sessions for association purposes, while the outer identifier structure ensures global uniqueness by incorporating the specific network element context.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
Figure 5
AI summary
Provided are a charging method, a charging device and a session management function. The charging method applied to the session management function includes: creating a session with an online charging system (OCS) for each of multiple user plane function (UPFs) which carry user equipment service traffic, and assigning different session identifiers and a unified charging identifier to sessions with a charging association; and sending an online charging message to the OCS for any one session in the sessions with the charging association, where the online charging message carries a session identifier of the any one session and the charging identifier.