CN101001402A - Mobile communication system and system of using attaching network application function service - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to mobile communication technology, and discloses a mobile communication system and a method for using a home network application function service, so that when a UE roaming in a visiting network accesses an AF service connected to an HPLMN PCRF, the service can be accurately implemented in terms of strategy and Billing control. In the present invention, the PCRF of the home network and the PCRF of the roaming network respectively decide whether to allow the UE roaming to the visited network to use the service of the home network AF. A new interface is added between the OCS of the home network and the visited network. When the OCS of the visited network charges for the roaming UE using the AF service of the home network, the charging credit information is directly obtained from the OCS of the home network through the newly added interface. The realization method of the interface between the PCRF of the home network and the visited network, and the type of information transferred in the interface are proposed. PCRF and OCS can be implemented in the same network entity.

Description

Mobile communication system and method for using home network application function service

technical field

The present invention relates to mobile communication technology, in particular to a related system and method for using a home network application function service by a roaming user equipment in a visited network.

Background technique

The General Packet Radio Service ("GPRS") network is a new generation of cellular mobile communication network based on the Global System of Mobility ("GSM") network. In order to support the GPRS function, some nodes need to be added in the existing GSM network, such as Gateway GPRS Support Node (Gateway GPRS Support Node, referred to as "GGSN"), Serving GPRS Support Node (Serving GPRS Support Node, referred to as "SGSN"), they All belong to GPRS Support Node (GPRS Support Node, referred to as "GSN").

In addition, in the third generation mobile communication (The Third Generation, referred to as "3G"), such as the core network (Core Net, referred to as "CN") of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) Among them, the GPRS function is also supported, and there are also GSN nodes such as GGSN and SGSN.

Among them, GGSN is one of the core network devices of GPRS, and its main functions are network access control, charging information collection, route selection and forwarding, mobility management, border gateway (Border Gateway, referred to as "BG") and so on.

At present, a main way for the industry to realize intelligent services on the GPRS network is the GGSN/Service Switch Function (GGSN/Service Switch Function, referred to as "GGSN/SSF") method. This GGSN/SSF method is to realize intelligent services on the GGSN swap function. In this way, the interface between the Service Switch Point ("SSP" for short) and the service control point ("SCP" for short) adopts the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3rd Generation Partnership Project, "SCP") "3GPP") TS 23.078 standard for mobile network enhanced logic customized applications (Customized Applications for Mobile network Enhanced Logic, referred to as "CAMEL") interface.

The charging information in the GPRS network is collected by the SGSN and the GGSN and sent to the charging gateway function (Charging Gateway Functionality, referred to as "CGF"). The Call Detail Record (CDR) collected by CGF from SGSN is called SGSN Call Detail Record (SGSN-Call Detail Record, referred to as “S-CDR”), and the CDR collected from GGSN is called GGSN Call Detail Record (GGSN-Call Detail Record, "G-CDR").

In 3GPP R5 (version 5), the Flow Based Charging (FBC for short) method is adopted, specifically in the 3GPP TS 23.125 standard, there are descriptions of the system structure, functional requirements and message flow of FBC .

In 3GPP R6 (version 6), a Service Based Local Policy ("SBLP") control scheme and a Service Data Flow ("SDF")-based FBC charging control scheme are provided.

In order to improve system efficiency, simplify operation, and reduce delay, it is necessary to consider the integration of policy control and charging control. The integrated mechanism is 3GPP R7 policy and charging control (Policy and Charging Control, referred to as "PCC"). As shown in Figure 1. This combination is beneficial to better provide an optimized real-time interactive operating system in the GGSN and other access network gateways (Gateway, "GW" for short).

Like FBC, the basic object to operate in PCC is also SDF. Similarly, charging rules are used in FBC, while all operations in PCC are expressed and transmitted to executive function entities in the network through PCC rules. The combination of subscription information, new binding mechanism and PCC rules makes PCC applicable to more general application environments, for example, with or without AF, GPRS bearer or non-GPRS bearer, etc. , It also provides a more general operating platform for the implementation of more new applications.

The Charging Rules Function (CRF for short) based on SDF in this PCC mechanism is called the Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF for short), which not only includes the policy decision-making in SBLP Function (Policy Decision Function, referred to as "PDF"), also includes the function of CRF in FBC, and provides quality of service (Quality of Service, referred to as "QoS") authorization information and charging rules to GW, as shown in Figure 2.

Among them, the Subscription Profile Repository (Subscription Profile Repository, referred to as "SPR") entity contains information related to user subscription, which is very useful for PCRF to perform subscription-based policy control and bearer-level charging control.

Similarly, the GW entity shown in Figure 1 includes the Policy Enforcement Point (PEP) of the SBLP and the Traffic Plane Function (TPF) of the FBC, and provides user plane traffic processing And QoS processing, also provides SDF-based matching and statistical functions.

In addition, the online charging system (Online Charging System, referred to as "OCS") is composed of SCP and credit control function (Credit Control Function, referred to as "CCF") two functional entities, in which CCF manages user credit during online charging . When a user uses a service, the CCF authenticates the user's credit and issues the credit that the user can use to the TPF.

Corresponding to the GPRS network, the AF is a service gateway or a service server in a Packet Data Network ("PDN"). The TPF is a GGSN, and the CRF is a newly added logical entity. Among them, the function of the TPF is the enforcement point of the charging rules, and the CRF is the control point of the charging rules.

The PCRF (V-PCRF) of the visited network (Visited Network) of the roaming UE acts as a proxy, that is, P-PCRF, and belongs to the public land mobile communication network (Home PLMN, referred to as "HPLMN"), that is, the home network (Home Network) ) uses the Gx interface between the PCRF (H-PCRF), as shown in FIG. 3 .

Among them, the functions that P-PCRF may support as an agent include policy control decision-making and FBC control functions; according to service flow detection gating (gating), QoS and FBC control (except credit management), to the policy and charging execution function (Policy and charging) Charging Enforcement Function, referred to as "PCEF") provides network control; according to the operator's needs, apply for a security process before receiving attribution network service information; before storing the information provided by AF, it may be checked whether it is consistent with the policy rules defined by the local operator, and It is possible to reject the request of the home network according to the result of the detection inconsistency; to determine the type of service data flow processed in the PCEF, and to ensure that the PCEF user plane service mapping and processing are in accordance with the user's subscription file; Whether the service information is consistent with the policy rules defined by the operator, where the service information is used to extract the QoS of the service; use the subscription information as the basis for policy and charging control decisions, where the subscription information can apply for dialogue-based and non-dialogue-based services .

Another network architecture in the prior art is that the AF is still in the home network, or there is a connection with the H-PCRF. When the roaming UE is in the visited network, although the user flow does not pass through the home network, it is still controlled by the home network.

In this case, the central node (anchor) of the home network does not need to participate in the processing of the user flow, and the policy enforcement function is performed in the visited network. However, there is no direct signaling interaction between the visited network and the home network. Whether it is necessary to transfer the AF session information between the H-PCRF and the V-OCRF in order to execute the policy on the serving node is to be further studied (For Further Study, referred to as "FFS") )of.

If the way V-PCRF provides policy rules is preset in the roaming agreement with the home network, relying on the roaming agreement to control the policy of the visited network, the existing roaming agreement needs to be modified, and its feasibility and modification content It is FFS. If feasible, the roaming charging protocol is simplified, such as charging based on session signaling and not charging for media, etc., which is also FFS.

It is also necessary to study how PEP configuration updates may be required when routing optimization is used, for example, how to perform configuration updates is also FFS when the bearer allows switching between optimized and non-optimized modes during a session.

In practical application, the above solution has the following problem: the charging of the home network service accessed by the roaming UE is inaccurate.

The main reason for this situation is that currently there is no definition for the content, method and strategy of the information transmitted between the H-PCRF and the V-PCRF, so the home network services accessed by the roaming UE in the roaming network The charging policies and charging rules are inflexible, resulting in inaccurate charging.

Contents of the invention

In view of this, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication system and a method for using the home network application function service, so that when a UE roaming in the visited network accesses the AF service connected to the HPLMN PCRF, the service can be accurately performed Policy and billing control.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a mobile communication system, which includes a home network and a visited network, and the home network and the visited network respectively include: a policy and charging rule function and a policy and charging execution function connected to each other in the network and an online charging system; the policy and charging rule function in the home network is connected to the policy and charging rule function in the visited network through the first interface, and the home network also includes an application function connected to the policy and charging rule function ;

The online charging system in the visited network is connected to the online charging system in the home network through the second interface;

When the user equipment roaming to the visited network uses the service provided by the application function of the home network, the online charging system of the visited network is also used to perform online charging for the service, and when charging, send the The online billing system of the home network applies for a billing credit.

Wherein, the first interface is implemented based on the Gx interface, wherein the policy and charging rule function of the visited network side is the server side of the Gx interface, and the policy and charging rule function of the home network side is the client side of the Gx interface.

In addition, in the system, the first interface is implemented based on the Rx interface, wherein the policy and charging rule function of the visited network side is the client side of the Rx interface, and the policy and charging rule function of the home network side is the server side of the Rx interface .

In addition, in the system, the first interface is a newly defined interface that is different from the Gx interface and the Rx interface.

Furthermore, in the system, in the home network and the visited network, the policy and charging rule function in the same network and the online charging system are located in the same network entity; the network entity is related to the policy and charging enforcement function in the same network The connected interface is formed by merging the Gx interface and the Gy interface;

The network entity including the policy and charging rule function and the online charging system in the home network is connected to the network entity including the policy and charging rule function and the online charging system in the visited network through the fourth interface.

In addition, in the system, the fourth interface is implemented based on one of the following interfaces or any combination thereof:

Gx interface, Rx interface, and Gx over Gy interface, and a newly defined interface.

In addition, in the system, the information transmitted by the first interface or the fourth interface includes one of the following or any combination thereof:

Application function information for policy and charging control, information for determining charging, trigger event information, online charging related information, application function charging identification, IP service quality information, application function gate description, contract specification library information, bearer status, flow identifier, and service failure cause information.

The present invention also provides a method for a roaming user equipment to use a home network application function service, including the following steps:

When a user equipment roaming in the visited network requests to use the service of the application function in the home network, the policy and charging rule function in the visited network interacts with the policy and charging rule function in the home network, according to the subscription of the user equipment Information, capabilities of the visited network, and preset policy decisions whether to allow the user equipment to use the service, if so, determine the corresponding policy and charging rules and perform policy and charging control, otherwise deny the user equipment to use the service business request.

Wherein, the interaction and decision-making between the policy and charging rule function in the visited network and the policy and charging rule function in the home network specifically includes the following sub-steps:

The policy and charging rule function in the visited network decides whether to allow the user equipment to use the service according to the capabilities of the visited network and local policies, and if so, sends a request message to the policy and charging rule function in the home network; otherwise rejects the a user equipment request for the service;

After receiving the request message, the policy and charging rule function in the home network decides whether to allow the use of the service according to the subscription information of the user equipment, and responds to the policy and charging rule function in the visited network with the decision result or corresponding information Rule function.

In addition, in the method, the interaction and decision-making between the policy and charging rule function in the visited network and the policy and charging rule function in the home network specifically includes the following sub-steps:

The policy and charging rule function in the visited network sends a request message to the policy and charging rule function in the home network;

After receiving the request message, the policy and charging rule function in the home network decides whether to allow the use of the service according to the subscription information of the user equipment, and responds to the policy and charging rule function in the visited network with the decision result or corresponding information rule function;

If the policy and charging rule function in the visited network receives the decision result or corresponding information that the policy and charging rule function in the home network agrees that the user equipment uses the service, it further decides whether to Allowing the user equipment to use the service, if so, determining the corresponding policy and charging rules and performing policy and charging control, otherwise rejecting the user equipment's request for the service.

In addition, in the method, if the service adopts an online charging method, the charging also includes the following steps:

The policy and charging rule function in the visited network sends a message to the policy and charging enforcement function in the visited network, which includes the address of the online charging system in the home network of the user equipment;

The policy and charging execution function in the visited network is connected to the online charging system in the visited network, and according to the received address of the online charging system in the home network, charges online in the home network through the online charging system in the visited network The system applies for a billing credit;

The online charging system in the visited network performs online charging for the service according to the applied charging credit.

In addition, in the method, the policy and charging enforcement function in the visited network is connected to the online charging system in the visited network through a preset address or an address provided by the policy and charging rule function in the visited network.

In addition, in the method, the policy and charging rule function in the visited network sends a message to the policy and charging enforcement function in the visited network, which includes the address of the online charging system in the visited network;

The policy and charging execution function in the visited network connects to the online charging system in the visited network according to the received address of the online charging system in the visited network, and reports to the online charging system in the home network through the online charging system in the visited network Apply for charging credit; wherein, the online charging system in the visited network obtains the address of the online charging system in the home network from the policy and charging rule function in the visited network;

The online charging system in the visited network performs online charging for the service according to the applied charging credit.

In addition, in the method, the interaction information between the policy and charging rule function in the visited network and the policy and charging rule function in the home network includes one of the following or any combination thereof:

Application function information for policy and charging control, information for determining charging, trigger event information, online charging related information, application function charging identification, IP service quality information, application function gate description, contract specification library information, bearer status, flow identifier, and service failure cause information.

In addition, in the method, the information used to determine charging-related information includes one of the following or any combination thereof:

Online charging or offline charging mode indication, charging unit indication, online charging system and offline charging system address information, information to determine charging key, visited network identifier, visited network entity IP address, and service identifier or application function Application ID.

In addition, in the method, the application function information used for policy and charging control includes one of the following or any combination thereof:

filter information, quality of service information, media type, and media components.

Through comparison, it can be found that the main difference between the technical solution of the present invention and the prior art is that a new interface is added between the OCS of the home network and the visited network, and the OCS of the visited network charges for the roaming UE using the AF service of the home network. , directly obtain the charging credit information from the OCS of the home network through the newly added interface.

The realization method of the interface between the PCRF of the home network and the visited network, and the type of information transferred in the interface are proposed.

Realize PCRF and OCS in the same network entity.

When a UE requests the service of AF in the home network, the PCRF of the home network decides whether to allow the UE to use the service according to the subscription information of the UE, and the PCRF of the visited network according to the capabilities of the visited network and local policies. If the PCRF of the home network and the visited network The PCRF allows all of them, and then determines the corresponding policy and charging rules and performs policy and charging control, or rejects the request of the UE.

If it is online charging, the visited network PCEF applies for a charging credit from the home network OCS through the visited network OCS.

This difference in technical solutions has brought obvious beneficial effects, that is, because the OCS interface between the home network and the visited network is increased, when the UE roaming to the visited network uses the AF service of the home network, the OCS of the visited network The UE can be charged online, thereby simplifying the policy and charging control process, optimizing the network performance, and improving the utilization rate of network resources.

By proposing the specific implementation of the interface between PCRFs and the types of information transmitted in it, the scheme is more practicable.

By implementing PCRF and OCS in the same network entity, the interfaces between network elements are further simplified.

Through the two-layer decision-making of the home network PCRF and the visited network PCRF, when the UE accesses the service of the home network AF, the subscription status of the UE and the actual capabilities of the visited network can be considered comprehensively to determine whether to allow the UE to access the service .

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the PCC mechanism of 3GPP R7 in the prior art;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the PCRF structure in the PCC of 3GPP R7 in the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a mobile communication system in the prior art;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of the mobile communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a mobile communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a flowchart of a method for a roaming UE to use a home network AF service according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a network structure of a roaming UE using a home network AF service in the network architecture shown in FIG. 4 according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for a roaming UE to use an AF service of a home network according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a network structure of a roaming UE using a home network AF service in the network architecture shown in FIG. 5 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to make the object, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The invention defines a new mobile communication system network architecture and information transmitted between H-PCRF and V-PCRF. When the user is located in the visited network and accesses the AF service connected to the H-PCRF, in order to better implement policy control and charging control, it is clarified that the specific information transmitted between the H-PCRF and the V-PCRF and the network after receiving the information Approach.

The network architecture of the mobile communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4 , and the network includes a home network and a visited network.

Wherein, the home network and the visited network respectively include: PCRF, PCEF and OCS connected to each other in the network. In addition, the home network also includes an AF connected to the H-PCRF.

The H-PCRF can be connected to the V-PCRF through a Gx-based or Rx-based interface or a newly defined interface. If the connection is based on the Gx interface, then the V-PCRF is the server of the Gx interface, and the H-PCRF is the client of the Gx interface; if the connection is based on the Rx interface, then the V-PCRF is the client of the Rx interface, and the H-PCRF It is the server side of the Rx interface.

The following information (not limited to the following information) can be transmitted in the above-mentioned Gx-based or Rx-based interface or a newly defined interface:

AF information used for policy and charging control, including one or any combination of the following information: filter (filter) information (such as IP five source group information), QoS information (AF business information or PDF will AF The IP QoS information converted from business information, such as the bandwidth or rate required by the upstream and downstream streams), media types and media components;

Information used to determine charging, including one or any combination of the following information: online charging or offline charging mode indication, charging unit indication (such as flow-based charging or time-based charging or flow-based charging and time charging), online charging system OCS and offline charging system OFCS address information, information to determine the charging key, visited network identifier, visited network entity IP address (the IP address of the visited network SGSN or 3GPP AAA Server serving the UE address), business identifier or AF application identifier;

trigger event information;

OCS-related information, such as credit management or authorization trigger events, etc.;

AF charging ID, ICID in the Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IP Multimedia Subsystem, referred to as "IMS");

IP QoS information;

AF gate (gate) description, such as gate open or close information;

SPR information, including the business information signed by the subscriber;

Bearer status, such as bearer establishment, loss, recovery, release, etc.;

Flow ID (used to mark business flow);

User identification, such as International Mobile Station Identity (IMSI for short) or Network Address Identifier (NAI for short) or Mobile Station International Integrated Services Digital Network number (Mobile Station International Integrated Services Digital Network Number, referred to as "MSISDN") or IP address, etc.;

Reason for business failure.

For the QoS information, the H-PCRF may directly forward the AF service information to the V-PCRF, or convert the AF service information into IP QoS information and send it to the V-PCRF.

The OCS of the visited network (that is, V-OCS) and the OCS of the home network (that is, H-OCS) are also connected to each other. When the UE roams to the visited network and uses the service provided by the AF of the network, the V-OCS performs the service Online charging, and apply for charging credit to H-OCS through this connection during charging. It is precisely because of the increase of the interface between the V-OCS and the H-OCS that in the charging process, the policy and charging control process is simplified, and the network performance is also optimized, and the utilization rate of network resources is improved.

The network architecture of the mobile communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5 . Similar to the above embodiment, the network also includes a home network and a visited network. The only difference is that in the home network and the visited network, the PCRF and the OCS are located in the same network entity in the same network. By implementing the PCRF and the OCS in the same network entity, the interfaces between network elements can be further simplified.

Correspondingly, the interface connecting the network entity to the PCEF in the same network is formed by merging the Gx interface and the Gy interface or is a newly defined interface.

The implementation between the network entities of the home network and the visited network is based on one of the following interfaces or any combination thereof: Gx interface, Rx interface, and Gx over Gy interface, and a newly defined interface. The content transmitted in this interface includes but is not limited to the following information:

AF information used for policy and charging control, including one or any combination of the following information: filter (filter) information (such as IP five-source group information), QoS information (such as bandwidth or rate), media type and media composition;

Information used to determine charging, including one or any combination of the following information: online charging or offline charging mode indication, charging unit indication (such as flow-based charging or time-based charging or flow-based charging and time charging), offline charging system OFCS address information, information to determine the charging key, visited network identifier, visited network entity IP address (IP address of the visited network SGSN or 3GPP AAA Server serving the UE), service identifier or AF application identification;

trigger event information;

OCS-related information, such as credit management or authorization trigger events, etc.;

AF charging ID, ICID in IMS;

IP QoS information;

AF gate (gate) description, such as gate open or close information;

SPR information;

Bearer status, such as bearer establishment, loss, recovery, release, etc.;

Flow ID (used to mark business flow);

User identification, such as IMSI or NAI or MSISDN or IP address, etc.;

Reasons for business failure;

User credit information.

The method for UE using the AF service of the visited network according to the third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. The home network of UE-a is network A. For the business of A, the network structure is shown in Figure 7.

In step 601, when the roaming UE requests to use the AF1 service in the network A in the network B, it sends a service request to the PCEF (V-PCEF) of the visited network B.

In step 602, the V-PCRF decides whether to allow the UE to use the service according to the capability of network B and the local policy, if yes, go to step 604; otherwise, go to step 603.

In step 603, the V-PCRF rejects the UE's service access request.

In step 604, the V-PCRF sends a request message to the H-PCRF according to the service request information received by the V-PCEF. The information carried in the message includes:

Subscription-Id AVP (identification information of roaming users);

3GPP-SGSN-MCC-MNC (PLMN Id information of network B);

3GPP-SGSN-Address (address of SGSN).

In step 605, after receiving the request message, the H-PCRF queries the SPR according to the subscription information of the UE to decide whether to allow the service, and responds to the V-PCRF with the decision result and relevant information. If the decision result is that the AF service is allowed, go to step 606; otherwise, go to step 603. By making decisions at the H-PCRF and V-PCRF layers, when a roaming UE accesses the service of the home network AF, it can comprehensively consider the subscription status of the UE and the actual capabilities of the visited network to determine whether the UE is allowed to access the service Decide.

Among them, the information that H-PCRF responds to V-PCRF includes:

Flow-Description AVP (AF filter information);

QoS information, including: Max-Requested-Bandwidth-DL AVP (maximum requested downlink bandwidth), Max-Requested-Bandwidth-UL (maximum requested uplink bandwidth), RR-BandwidthAVP (radio resource bandwidth), RS-Bandwidth AVP ( wireless receiving bandwidth);

Media-Type AVP (media type);

Media-Component-Description AVP (Media Component Description);

Online AVP (online billing);

Metering-Method AVP (billing unit indication), such as billing based on traffic and time;

Charging-Information AVP (online charging system OCS address);

AF-Application-identifier AVP (service identification or AF application identification);

Event-Trigger AVP (trigger event);

Some information of OCS, such as credit management or authorization trigger events, etc.;

AF-charging-ID, ICID in IMS;

Flow-Status AVP (flow status) in Media-Component-Description AVP, such as AF door open or close;

Flows AVP (flow identification), used to mark the business flow.

In step 606, the V-PCRF determines corresponding policies and charging rules. Among them, the information used to determine charging includes online charging or offline charging mode indication, charging unit indication, OCS and OFCS address information, information for determining charging keys, visited network identifier, visited network entity IP address, and service logo or AF application logo and so on.

In step 607, if the service adopts the online charging method, the V-PCRF sends a message of the determined policy and charging rules to the V-PCEF, including the address of the UE's H-OCS.

In step 608, the V-PCEF connects to the V-OCS through the preset address or the address provided by the V-PCRF, and passes through the V-OCS through the H-PCRF and the V-OCS according to the received address of the H-OCS. The interface between the PCRFs applies for charging credits from the H-OCS.

Wherein, the information exchanged by the interface between V-PCRF and H-PCRF may be application function information for policy and charging control, information for determining charging, triggering event information, online charging related information, application function information, etc. Accounting ID, IP QoS information, application function gate description, SPR information, bearer status, flow ID, and service failure reason information, etc. Specifically, the application function information used for policy and charging control refers to filter information, service quality information, media type, and media components. By proposing the specific implementation of the interface between PCRFs and the types of information transmitted in it, the scheme is more practicable.

In step 609, the V-OCS performs online charging for the service according to the applied charging credit.

The method for UE using the AF service of the visited network according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8 . Similar to the third embodiment, the home network of UE-a is network A. network) and requests to use the service of network A, the network structure is shown in FIG. 9 .

Step 801 is similar to step 601 .

In step 802, the V-PCRF sends a request message to the H-PCRF according to the service request information received by the V-PCEF.

In step 803, after receiving the request message, the H-PCRF queries the SPR according to the subscription information of the UE to decide whether to allow the service, and responds to the V-PCRF with the decision result and related information. If the decision result is that the AF service is allowed, go to step 805; otherwise, go to step 804. The information that H-PCRF responds to V-PCRF includes:

Flow-Description AVP (AF filter information);

QoS information, including: Max-Requested-Bandwidth-DL AVP (maximum requested downlink bandwidth), Max-Requested-Bandwidth-UL (maximum requested uplink bandwidth), RR-BandwidthAVP (radio resource bandwidth), RS-Bandwidth AVP ( wireless receiving bandwidth);

Media-Type AVP (media type);

Media-Component-Description AVP (Media Component Description);

Online AVP (online billing);

Metering-Method AVP (billing unit indication), such as billing based on traffic and time;

AF-Application-identifier AVP (service identification or AF application identification);

Event-Trigger AVP (trigger event);

Some information of OCS, such as credit management or authorization trigger events, etc.;

AF-charging-ID, ICID in IMS;

Flow-Status AVP (flow status) in Media-Component-Description AVP, such as AF door open or close;

Flows AVP (flow identification), used to mark the business flow.

Step 804 is also similar to step 603 .

In step 805, the V-PCRF decides whether to allow the UE to use the service according to the capability of network B and local policies, and if the decision result is to allow the use of the AF service, then go to step 806; otherwise, go to step 804 as well.

Step 806 is also similar to step 606 and will not be repeated here.

In step 807, the V-PCRF sends a message of the determined policy and charging rules to the V-PCEF, which contains the address of the V-OCS, indicating that online charging is adopted.

In step 808, the V-PCEF connects to the V-OCS according to the received V-OCS address, and applies for charging credits to the H-OCS through the V-OCS through the interface between the H-PCRF and the V-PCRF. Wherein, the V-OCS obtains the address of the H-OCS from the V-PCRF.

In step 809, the V-OCS performs online charging for the service according to the applied charging credit.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the present invention. The spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (15)

1. A mobile communication system, including a home network and a visited network, the home network and the visited network respectively include: a policy and charging rule function, a policy and charging execution function, and an online charging system connected to each other in the network; The policy and charging rule function in the network is connected to the policy and charging rule function in the visited network through the first interface, and it is characterized in that the home network also includes an application function connected with the policy and charging rule function; The online charging system in the visited network is connected to the online charging system in the home network through the second interface; When the user equipment roaming to the visited network uses the service provided by the application function of the home network, the online charging system of the visited network is also used to perform online charging for the service, and when charging, send the The online billing system of the home network applies for a billing credit. 2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first interface is implemented based on the Gx interface, wherein the visiting network side policy and charging rule function is the server end of the Gx interface, and the home network side policy and charging rule function is the server side of the Gx interface. The charging rule function is the client of the Gx interface. 3. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first interface is implemented based on the Rx interface, wherein the visiting network side policy and charging rule function is a client of the Rx interface, and the home network side policy and charging rule function is a client of the Rx interface. The charging rule function is the server side of the Rx interface. 4. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the home network and the visited network, the policy and charging rule function and the online charging system in the same network are located in the same network entity; the network entity and The interface connecting the policy and charging enforcement function in the same network is formed by merging the Gx interface and the Gy interface; The network entity including the policy and charging rule function and the online charging system in the home network is connected to the network entity including the policy and charging rule function and the online charging system in the visited network through the fourth interface. 5. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the fourth interface is implemented based on one of the following interfaces or any combination thereof: Gx interface, Rx interface, and Gy-based Gx interface. 6. The mobile communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information transmitted by the first interface or the fourth interface includes one of the following or any combination thereof: Application function information for policy and charging control, information for determining charging, trigger event information, online charging related information, application function charging identification, IP service quality information, application function gate description, contract specification library information, bearer status, flow identifier, and service failure cause information. 7. A method for a roaming user equipment to use a home network application function service, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: When a user equipment roaming in the visited network requests to use the service of the application function in the home network, the policy and charging rule function in the visited network interacts with the policy and charging rule function in the home network, according to the subscription of the user equipment Information, capabilities of the visited network, and preset policy decisions whether to allow the user equipment to use the service, if so, determine the corresponding policy and charging rules and perform policy and charging control, otherwise deny the user equipment to use the service business request. 8. The method for roaming user equipment to use home network application function services according to claim 7, characterized in that, the interaction and decision-making between the policy and charging rule function in the visited network and the policy and charging rule function in the home network It specifically includes the following sub-steps: The policy and charging rule function in the visited network decides whether to allow the user equipment to use the service according to the capabilities of the visited network and local policies, and if so, sends a request message to the policy and charging rule function in the home network; otherwise rejects the a user equipment request for the service; After receiving the request message, the policy and charging rule function in the home network decides whether to allow the use of the service according to the subscription information of the user equipment, and responds to the policy and charging rule function in the visited network with the decision result or/and corresponding information. Billing rule function. 9. The method for roaming user equipment to use home network application function services according to claim 7, characterized in that, the interaction and decision-making between the policy and charging rule function in the visited network and the policy and charging rule function in the home network It specifically includes the following sub-steps: The policy and charging rule function in the visited network sends a request message to the policy and charging rule function in the home network; After receiving the request message, the policy and charging rule function in the home network decides whether to allow the use of the service according to the subscription information of the user equipment, and responds to the policy and charging rule function in the visited network with the decision result or corresponding information rule function; If the policy and charging rule function in the visited network receives the decision result or corresponding information that the policy and charging rule function in the home network agrees that the user equipment uses the service, it further decides whether to Allowing the user equipment to use the service, if so, determining the corresponding policy and charging rules and performing policy and charging control, otherwise rejecting the user equipment's request for the service. 10. The method for using a home network application function service by a roaming user equipment according to claim 7, wherein if the service adopts an online charging method, the charging further includes the following steps: The policy and charging rule function in the visited network sends a message to the policy and charging enforcement function in the visited network, which includes the address of the online charging system in the home network of the user equipment; The policy and charging execution function in the visited network is connected to the online charging system in the visited network, and according to the received address of the online charging system in the home network, charges online in the home network through the online charging system in the visited network The system applies for a billing credit; The online charging system in the visited network performs online charging for the service according to the applied charging credit. 11. The method for roaming user equipment to use home network application function services according to claim 10, characterized in that the policy and charging enforcement function in the visited network uses a preset address or the policy and charging rule function in the visited network The provided address connects to the online billing system in the visited network. 12. The method for roaming user equipment to use home network application function services according to claim 7, wherein the policy and charging rule function in the visited network sends a message to the policy and charging enforcement function in the visited network, which includes the visited The address of the online billing system in the network; The policy and charging execution function in the visited network connects to the online charging system in the visited network according to the received address of the online charging system in the visited network, and reports to the online charging system in the home network through the online charging system in the visited network Apply for charging credit; wherein, the online charging system in the visited network obtains the address of the online charging system in the home network from the policy and charging rule function in the visited network; The online charging system in the visited network performs online charging for the service according to the applied charging credit. 13. The method for a roaming user equipment to use a home network application function service according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the policy and charging rule function in the visited network is the same as the policy and charging rule function in the home network The information interacted between rule functions contains one or any combination of the following: Application function information for policy and charging control, information for determining charging, trigger event information, online charging related information, application function charging identification, IP service quality information, application function gate description, contract specification library information, bearer status, flow identifier, and service failure cause information. 14. The method for a roaming user equipment to use a home network application function service according to claim 13, wherein the information used to determine charging-related information includes one of the following or any combination thereof: Online charging or offline charging mode indication, charging unit indication, online charging system and offline charging system address information, information to determine charging key, visited network identifier, visited network entity IP address, and service identifier or application function Application ID. 15. The method for roaming user equipment to use home network application function services according to claim 13, wherein the application function information used for policy and charging control includes one of the following or any combination thereof: filter information, quality of service information, media type, and media components.

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