JPH09130387A - ATM cell billing processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To charge the service corresponding to intra-network resources assigned to users while reflecting the degradation of the service by calculating the meter rate value based on the number of intra-network passing cells supposed by the use band declaration value and the service time. SOLUTION: An exchange on the originating side gathers UPC data from a UPC device 12 and an exchange on the terminating side gathers PM data from an OAM processor 14 to periodically update a network data memory 4. In the call disconnection, network data transferred from the exchange on the terminating side is used for the meter rate. A call processing processor of the exchange on the originating side calculates the meter rate value by (the average band) × (the holding time) ×k (k is a constant indicating a unit charge per cell) based on contents of the network data memory 4. In this case, (the average band) × (the holding time) means the supposed value of the number of intra-network passing cells because the average band is the average use band declared by the user on the originating side and the holding time is the time from connection to disconnection of the call.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a billing processing device for obtaining a call charge for each call in an ATM network, and more particularly to a billing processing device for calculating a pay-per-use billing value depending on the number of cells flowing into or out of the network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an ATM network. The ATM network is composed of a single or a plurality of ATM exchanges (nodes), and data is transmitted and received between ATM terminals (users) connected via the ATM network. In the example in the figure, when a call is set up between the terminal a and the terminal c, the terminal a
The path of the subscriber exchange A, the transit exchange B, the subscriber exchange C, and the terminal c is connected by a connection, and a fixed-length data frame called a cell is transmitted and received between the terminals a and c.

At the time of call setup, a user who makes a call declares a planned use band (average band and peak band) to the network, and the network judges whether the declared use band can be secured by the exchange (call Acceptance determination) is performed, and the call is accepted if the band can be allocated. Also, during call connection, the network monitors the flow rate (UP
C; Usage Parameter Control) That is, whether or not the user adheres to the declared bandwidth is monitored for each arriving cell, and the cell that violates the declared bandwidth is subjected to processing such as discarding or lowering the priority.

Further, in the ATM network, the incoming side of the network (ATM
PM cell (Performance Management Cell; OA for monitoring transmission quality) at an ATM switch into which a cell flows from a terminal
The connection quality is measured for each call by inserting the M cell) and extracting the PM cell at the outgoing side of the network (the ATM switch that flows the cell to the ATM terminal). For example, when data is transmitted from the terminal a to the terminal c in the ATM network of FIG. 11, the ingress side (subscriber switch A) of the network receives an ingress side every time a certain amount of user cells (blocks) pass. PM cells to which the number of passing user cells and bit error check code are added are inserted into the connection, while at the outgoing side of the network (subscriber switch C), PM cells are extracted from the connection and PM
Connection quality information such as the number of discarded cells in the network, the number of passed cells in the network, and the number of error blocks is calculated by comparing the information in the cell with the number of passing user cells on the outgoing side.

[0005] In the current communication networks, a charging mode in which a call time (holding time from connection to disconnection of a call) and a communication distance are taken into consideration is generally used. However, in the ATM network, in addition to these charging modes, a pay-as-you-go charge is applied. It is considered. This is a charging form in which the number of cells passing through the network during the call hold time is measured for each call, and the call charge is determined based on the measured number of cells. Conventionally, as a method for realizing pay-per-use billing, a configuration has been considered in which a billing device for measuring the number of passing cells is provided in an ATM exchange and a call processor collects the number of passing cells from the billing device to calculate a pay-per-use value. It was

FIG. 12 shows an AT capable of performing conventional pay-as-you-go billing.
It is an example of composition of M exchange (subscriber system). This ATM switch has a line interface unit 1 for providing an interface with an ATM terminal, a line interface unit 1'for providing an interface with a transit network, an ATM switch unit 2 for switching a cell route based on ATM cell header information, and a call interface. It is composed of a call processor unit 3 which controls setting, release, and management.

The line interface unit 1 includes a physical interface 11 for performing physical layer processing, a UPC device 12 for monitoring a flow rate of cells flowing from a terminal to a network, a billing device 13 for measuring the number of passing cells for each call, and a PM cell. And FM cells (Fault Management Cell; OAM cell for alarm)
It is composed of an OAM cell processing device 14 for inserting / extracting AM cells. The billing device 13 measures the number of cell passages flowing from the terminal to the network at the network entry side (= cell originating side) and the billing device 13a measures the number of cell passages flowing from the network to the terminal at the network exit side (= The charging device 13b is used for measurement at the cell arrival side). Since the pay-per-use billing is processed only at the ingress / egress side of the network, the line interface unit 1'of the relay system does not have a billing device.

The call processor 3 is controlled by software and executes a pay-per-use processing. The call processor 3 is associated with a network data memory 4 that stores information for each connection. FIG. 13 shows a configuration example of the network data memory 4. The information stored in the network data memory 4 includes call setting information such as declaration parameters (average and peak use bandwidth) and call holding time, and billing data collected from the billing device 13 (passing from the calling side or the called side). Number of cells) and UPC data collected from the UPC device 12 (number of UPC violation cells and other traffic data) and O
There is network data such as PM data collected from the AM processor 14 (the number of discarded cells in the network, the number of passed cells in the network, the number of error blocks, etc.).

FIG. 14 is an example of a network data collection sequence in the case where the conventional pay-per-use accounting is carried out by the ATM exchange. In this example, for the data transmitted from the originating exchange to the terminating exchange, the charging device 1 in the originating exchange is
The number of passing cells is measured by the charging device 13b in 3a or the receiving side switching device, and the calling side switching device performs a pay-per-use charging process based on the number of passing cells.

In the originating and terminating exchanges, the call processor 3 periodically collects network data from the line interface section 1. That is, in the originating exchange, the call processor 3 charges data from the billing device 13a (when the number of passing cells is measured on the originating side), the UPC device 12
UPC data from the OAM processor 14, and the call processor 3 in the destination exchange collects billing data from the billing device 13b (when the number of passing cells is measured on the destination side) and PM data from the OAM processor 14 respectively. The contents of the data memory 4 are updated regularly.

At the time of disconnecting the call, the contents of the network data memory 4 are updated in the originating and terminating exchanges as described above, and the network data is transferred from the terminating exchange to the originating exchange. When performing pay-as-you-go billing based on the number of passing cells on the destination side, the billing data transferred from the destination exchange is stored in the network data memory 4 of the originating exchange. The call processor 3 of the originating exchange performs the following calculation based on the contents of the network data memory 4 to calculate the pay-per-use value. Pay-as-you-go value = number of passing cells (on the originating side or destination side) × k Here, the number of passing cells is data collected from the charging device, and k is a constant indicating a unit charge for each cell.

[0012]

The ATM switch allocates a band according to the user's declaration at the time of call setup. But,
In the conventional pay-per-use method, the charge value is calculated based on the number of cells passing through the network, so that even if there is a difference in the declared band between users, the call charge will be the same if the communication data amount is the same. For example, the charge value is the same for a user A who sets up a call at 50 Mbps and communicates at an average of 10 Mbps, and a user B who sets up a call at 10 Mbps and communicates at an average of 10 Mbps, but the user A has more networks. Since it is occupying resources, it is substantially unfair to make the billing values of both parties the same.

Further, an AT which adopts a conventional pay-per-use system
In the M switch, it is necessary to provide a charging device for each subscriber line interface unit, and the charging device and the U
A huge amount of memory for accommodating the network data for each call collected from the PC device, the OAM cell processing device, etc. is required.

An ATM, which is a kind of standby system
In the network, cell discard occurs due to congestion in the network, and the meaning of the pay-per-use charge value varies depending on the installation location of the charging device in the network. There are the following problems depending on whether the charging device is installed on the entrance side or the exit side of the network. -When a billing device is installed on the ingress side of the network Since the pay-as-you-go value is calculated based on the number of cells flowing into the network, cells discarded in the network are also subject to billing.・ If the billing device is installed on the outgoing side of the network, the above-mentioned problem does not occur because the pay-as-you-go value is obtained by the number of cells flowing out of the network (= the number of cells flowing into the network-the number of cells discarded in the network). , Charges do not reflect deterioration of service to users due to cell discard in the network. In other words, if a cell is discarded in the network despite the user's adherence to the declared bandwidth, normal data transfer will not be performed between the user's terminals, and the user needs to perform retransmission control by himself depending on the type of data. There is. In such a case, it is necessary not only to stop charging the retransmitted data, but also to reduce the charge by that amount, but in the conventional charging method, the retransmitted data is also subject to charging.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to perform the following charging process in an ATM network. The pay-per-use value is calculated by taking into consideration the amount of bandwidth (intranet resource) allocated to the user. A pay-per-use charge value that reflects the deterioration of service to the user due to cell discard in the network is calculated. Reduce the hardware for pay-as-you-go processing.

[0016]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, as a first mode, for a call set up in an ATM network, a use band notified by a user at the time of setting up the call. Acquires the declared value and the call time from setting to release of the call, assumes the number of passing cells in the network based on the used bandwidth reporting value and the calling time, and calculates the pay-per-use value based on the number of passing cells in the network An ATM cell billing processing device is provided.

As described above, the number of cells passing through the network is estimated based on the used bandwidth declaration value (= the amount of the resource in the network requested by the user) and the call time (= the time when the user occupies the resource in the network). , It is possible to calculate the pay-per-use value according to the band (resource in the network) allocated to the user.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, the number of cells passing through the network is calculated based on the monitoring of transmission quality monitoring OAM cells for a call set up within the ATM network, and the number of passing cells within the network is calculated. An ATM cell billing processing device for calculating a pay-per-use billing value based on the above.

By thus determining the number of cell passages in the network from the information obtained based on the monitoring of the OAM cells, the hardware for measuring and accommodating the data of the number of cell passages in the network becomes unnecessary.

The ATM cell billing processing apparatus of the first and second embodiments uses the pay-per-use charge value calculated based on the number of passing cells in the network as a basic fee for a call set up in the ATM network, and discards it in the network. The pay-per-use value can be corrected by subtracting the discount charge corresponding to the number of cells from the basic charge.

In a third aspect of the present invention, the number of cells leaked from the ATM network to the receiving side terminal is acquired for a call set in the ATM network, and the basic charge is calculated based on the number of leaked cells. Then, an ATM cell billing processing device for calculating a pay-per-use billing value by subtracting a discounted fee corresponding to the number of discarded cells in the network from the basic fee is provided.

Thus, by subtracting the discounted charge according to the number of discarded cells in the network from the basic charge, it is possible to calculate a pay-per-use value reflecting the deterioration of service to the user due to the cell discard in the network. .

The ATM cell billing processing devices of the first to third modes are as follows for the call set up in the ATM network.
The number of cells flowing into the ATM network from the terminal on the transmitting side and the number of cells flowing out to the terminal on the receiving side from the ATM network are acquired, and the number of outgoing cells is subtracted from the number of incoming cells to obtain the number of discarded cells in the network. Can be

Further, the ATs of the above first to third forms
The M-cell billing processor can obtain the number of discarded cells in the network based on the monitoring of the transmission quality monitoring OAM cells for the call set in the ATM network.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The billing processor of the present invention is implemented as software for controlling a call processor on an ATM switch in each of the following embodiments. Note that the configuration example of the ATM exchange, the configuration example of the network data memory, and the example of the network data collection sequence shown in each of the following embodiments are largely the same as those already described in the example of the related art (FIGS. 12 to 14). Since the parts are common, detailed description will be omitted except for points different from the conventional example.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an ATM exchange in which a billing processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention operates.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the network data memory 4 in this embodiment. Since the present embodiment does not require a billing device, the ATM exchange shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration in which the billing device 13 is deleted from the conventional ATM exchange shown in FIG. 12, and the network data memory 4 shown in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. The area for charging data is deleted from the network data memory 4 of the conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in this embodiment. The originating exchange collects UPC data from the UPC device 12, and the terminating exchange collects PM data from the OAM processing device 14 to periodically update the network data memory 4. When the call is disconnected, the network data of the terminating exchange is transferred to the originating exchange, but in the present embodiment, the network data transferred from the terminating exchange is not used for the purpose of metered billing. The call processor 3 of the originating exchange performs the following calculation based on the contents of the network data memory 4 to calculate the pay-per-use value. Pay-per-use value = average bandwidth x hold time x k Here, the average bandwidth is the average bandwidth used by the calling user, and the hold time is the time from connection to disconnection of the call. It means the estimated value of the number of passing cells. Further, k is a constant indicating the unit charge for each cell.

With such a configuration, it is possible to charge the usage-based charge according to the band (intra-network resource) allocated to the user, so that the call charge can be increased despite the difference in the amount of resource occupied by the users. The injustice of being the same goes away. In addition, the charging device 13 of the line interface unit 1
Since the area of the charging data of the network data memory 4 is unnecessary, it contributes to the reduction of the hardware scale of the ATM switch.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in another embodiment of the present invention. Since the billing device is not required in this embodiment, the ATM switch and the network data memory 4 have the same configurations as those shown in FIGS. In the originating exchange, UPC device 12 to U
PC data is collected, and the OAM processor 1 at the destination exchange
PM data is collected from the network 4 and the network data memory 4 is regularly updated. When the call is disconnected, the network data of the terminating exchange is transferred to the originating exchange, and the PM data measured by the terminating exchange is stored in the network data memory 4 of the originating exchange. The call processor 3 of the originating exchange performs the following calculation based on the contents of the network data memory 4 to calculate the pay-per-use value. Pay-as-you-go value = number of passing cells in network × k Here, the number of passing cells in the network is PM measured at the destination exchange.
Data, k is a constant indicating the unit charge for each cell.

With such a configuration, even if the charging device 13 of the line interface unit 1 is deleted, the pay-per-use charge corresponding to the actual communication data amount can be performed, and the charge data area of the network data memory 4 becomes unnecessary. So ATM
It contributes to the reduction of the hardware scale of exchanges.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in another embodiment of the present invention.
Since the billing device is not required in this embodiment, the ATM switch and the network data memory 4 have the same configurations as those shown in FIGS. The network data collection sequence is the same as in the case of FIG. 4 except for the calculation for obtaining the pay-per-use value. When the call is disconnected, the call processor 3 of the originating exchange executes the following calculation based on the contents of the network data memory 4 to calculate the pay-per-use value. Pay-as-you-go value = average bandwidth x holding time x k-number of discarded cells in network x k'where, average bandwidth x holding time is an assumed value of the number of cells passing through in the network, and the number of discarded cells in the network is at the destination exchange. Measured PM
Data. Further, k is a constant indicating the unit charge for each cell, and k'is a constant indicating the amount of money deducted from the call charge for each cell discard.

With such a configuration, it is possible to perform pay-as-you-go billing according to the band (intra-network resource) assigned to the user, and to charge the call charge according to the degree of service deterioration that occurs due to the discarding of intra-network cells. Since it becomes possible to discount, it is possible to charge the user's communication fairly and appropriately. Further, since the charging device 13 of the line interface unit 1 and the charging data area of the network data memory 4 are unnecessary, it contributes to the reduction of the hardware scale of the ATM switch.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in another embodiment of the present invention.
Since the billing device is not required in this embodiment, the ATM switch and the network data memory 4 have the same configurations as those shown in FIGS. The network data collection sequence is the same as in the case of FIG. 4 except for the calculation for obtaining the pay-per-use value. When the call is disconnected, the call processor 3 of the originating exchange executes the following calculation based on the contents of the network data memory 4 to calculate the pay-per-use value. Pay-as-you-go value = number of passing cells in network × k-number of discarded cells in network ×
k ′ Here, the number of cells passing through the network and the number of cells discarding in the network are PM data measured by the destination exchange, k is a constant indicating a unit charge for each cell, and k ′ is a call charge for each cell discard. It is a constant indicating the amount to be deducted.

With such a configuration, even if the charging device 13 of the line interface unit 1 is deleted, it is possible to perform pay-as-you-go charging according to the actual amount of communication data, and also to prevent service deterioration caused by discarding cells in the network. Since it becomes possible to discount the call charge depending on the degree, it is possible to more appropriately charge the user's communication. Further, since the charging device 13 of the line interface unit 1 and the charging data area of the network data memory 4 are unnecessary, it contributes to the reduction of the hardware scale of the ATM switch.

Although the embodiment of the billing processing device which does not require the billing device has been described above, the present invention can be implemented by using the billing device in the ATM exchange shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the network data memory 4 in the embodiment using the charging device. The network data memory 4 stores, as billing data, a value of the originating billing data and a value obtained by subtracting the receiving billing data from the originating billing data.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in this embodiment. The originating exchange collects the originating billing data from the billing device 13a and the UPC data from the UPC device 12, and the billing device 1 in the destination exchange.
3b: Callee data, OAM processor 14 PM
Data is collected and the network data memory 4 is updated regularly. When the call is disconnected, the network data is transferred from the destination exchange to the originating exchange, and the value obtained by subtracting the destination billing data (number of passing cells) from the billing data (number of passing cells) of the originating side is the value of the originating exchange. It is housed in the network data memory 4. Call processor 3 of the originating exchange
Calculates the pay-per-use value by performing the following calculation based on the contents of the network data memory 4. Pay-as-you-go value = number of cells passing through destination x k- (number of cells passing through-
Destination side passing cell number) × k ′ Here, the destination side passing cell number means the number of passing cells in the network, and the originating side passing cell number−the destination side passing cell number means the number of discarded cells in the network. Further, k is a constant indicating the unit charge for each cell, and k'is a constant indicating the amount of money deducted from the call charge for each cell discard.

With such a configuration, it is possible to make a pay-as-you-go charge to the passing cells in the network based on the accurately measured actual number of cells and to discount the call charge according to the degree of service deterioration due to the discarding of cells in the network. , It is possible to charge more appropriately for user communication.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the network data memory 4 in another embodiment in which the accounting device is used. The network data memory 4 stores, as the charging data, a value obtained by subtracting the receiving side charging data from the calling side charging data.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in this embodiment, which is the same as the case of FIG. 8 except for the calculation for obtaining the pay-per-use charge value. When the call is disconnected, the call processor 3 of the originating exchange executes the following calculation based on the contents of the network data memory 4 to calculate the pay-per-use value. Pay-as-you-go value = average bandwidth x hold time x k- (calling side passing cell-callee side passing cell) x k'where, mean band x hold time is an assumed value of the number of passing cells in the network, number of calling side passing cells- The number of cells passing through the destination side means the number of cells discarded in the network. Further, k is a constant indicating the unit charge for each cell, and k'is a constant indicating the amount of money deducted from the call charge for each cell discard.

With such a configuration, it is possible to perform pay-as-you-go billing according to the bandwidth allocated to the user (= intranet resources), and to make a call depending on the degree of service deterioration that occurs due to cell discard in the network. Since it becomes possible to discount the fee, it is possible to charge the user's communication fairly and appropriately.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the pay-per-use processing is explained only for the one-way communication between the exchanges for the sake of convenience. However, in the two-way communication, each exchange has the calling side or the receiving side depending on the data communication direction. The exchanges exchange network data with each other, and normally, the exchange on the user side making the call calculates the pay-per-use charge value.

Further, the configuration of the ATM exchange shown in the embodiment (FIGS. 2 and 12) is an example, and a modified form according to the case is possible. For example, although the configuration in which the network data memory is directly connected to the call processor is shown in the embodiment, each device (UPC device, billing device, OAM cell processing device) is individually provided with the network data memory. You can also

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration has been shown in which the pay-per-use billing value is calculated by the calling user side exchange, but the billing process is performed by the called user side exchange, or It is also possible to arrange a single billing processing device not attached to the exchange in the network.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the pay-per-use processing of the ATM network, it becomes possible to perform the charging corresponding to the resource in the network allocated to the user, and
It is possible to perform billing that reflects the deterioration of service to the user due to cell discard in the network.

Further, according to the present invention, the billing device, which has been conventionally provided in the ATM exchange for the pay-per-use billing process, is not required, and the memory for accommodating the billing data is not required. The scale can be reduced. Further, since the billing device is deleted from the line interface in the ATM network, the subscriber line interface and the relay line interface have the same configuration, so that the hardware can be shared.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an ATM exchange according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example (No. 1) of a network data memory in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example (No. 2) of the network data memory in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example (No. 3) of the network data memory in the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an ATM network.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an ATM exchange in a conventional example and an example.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a network data memory in a conventional example.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a network data collection sequence in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 line interface unit (subscriber system) 1'line interface unit (relay system) 11 physical interface 12 UPC device 13 billing device 13a network ingress side (cell originating side) billing device 13b network outbound side (cell destination) Side) charging device 14 OAM cell processing device 2 ATM switch 3 call processing processor 4 network data memory

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. With respect to a call set up in an ATM network, a used bandwidth declared value notified by a user at the time of setting up the call and a call time from setting to release of the call are acquired, and the used bandwidth declared value and the The number of passing cells in the network is assumed based on the call time, and the pay-per-use value is calculated based on the number of passing cells in the network A
TM cell billing processor. 2. An ATM cell billing system for a call set up in an ATM network, wherein the number of passing cells in the network is obtained based on the monitoring of transmission quality monitoring OAM cells, and a pay-per-use value is calculated based on the number of passing cells in the network. Processing equipment. 3. For a call set up in an ATM network, a base charge is a pay-per-use charge value calculated based on the number of cells passing through the network, and a discount charge corresponding to the number of discarded cells in the network is subtracted from the basic charge. The ATM cell billing processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pay-per-use billing value is thereby corrected. 4. An AT for a call set up in an ATM network.
The number of cells leaked from the M network to the receiving side terminal is acquired, the basic charge is calculated based on the number of leaked cells, and the discount charge corresponding to the number of discarded cells in the network is subtracted from the basic charge to obtain the pay-per-use value. ATM cell billing device for calculating. 5. With respect to a call set up in the ATM network, the number of cells flowing into the ATM network from the transmission side terminal and the number of cells flowing out from the ATM network to the reception side terminal are acquired, and the outflow is performed from the inflowing cell number. 5. The ATM cell billing processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the number of cells is subtracted to obtain the number of discarded cells in the network. 6. The ATM cell charging processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the number of discarded cells in the network is calculated based on the monitoring of the transmission quality monitoring OAM cells for a call set up in the ATM network.