KR20040041410A - Method for collecting charging information in a radio communication interworking system of wireless local area network and mobile communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention collects and processes the service billing information of the wireless LAN network and the service billing information of the mobile communication network in the integrated interworking network between the wireless LAN network and the mobile communication network, and accurately calculates the usage fee per session when the network user requests the bill information statement from the network operator. It is about a technology that can be presented. The present invention comprises the steps of transferring the session ID generated in the wireless LAN network to the mobile communication network additional service providing node when the mobile communication network service request; A process of a mobile communication network additional service providing node receiving charging information collected from a wireless LAN network and charging information collected from a mobile communication network, and collecting billing information per session based on the session ID and the charging ID of the mobile communication network associated with it. Is achieved by.

Description

METHODOLOGY FOR COLLECTING CHARGING INFORMATION IN A RADIO COMMUNICATION INTERWORKING SYSTEM OF WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK AND MOBILE COMMUNICATION NETWORK}

The present invention relates to a technology for collecting and collecting service billing information of a wireless LAN network and service billing information of a mobile communication network in an integrated interworking network between a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network. Particularly, the present invention relates to a session using a wireless LAN network service and a mobile communication network service simultaneously. The present invention relates to a charging information collection method in a wireless communication system in which a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network interworking to provide charging information identifiers or reference values that can be integrated and managed.

In order to simultaneously use a communication service of a mobile communication network and a wireless LAN network, technologies for interworking them are being developed. 1 illustrates an example of an interworking service of an integrated interworking network using a mobile communication network and a wireless LAN network. That is, a user interoperates with a mobile communication network and a wireless LAN network so that a user can use a low-cost wireless LAN network in a hot spot area where a wireless LAN service is supported using the same device and a mobile communication network in other regions. .

In general, such an interworking network is classified into the following first and second interworking networks. The structure of the first interworking network is a system in which authentication and billing for use of a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network are integrated and provided to a user, and the wireless LAN network and the mobile communication network are operated independently. That is, a method of providing authentication and billing for a wireless LAN communication service through an authentication server and a billing server provided by a mobile communication network.

In addition, the structure of the second interworking network is a system for integrating authentication and billing, which are functions of the first interworking network, to the user and providing additional services provided only in the mobile communication network through a wireless LAN communication service. That is, the system provides a supplementary service provided by a mobile communication network while using a wireless LAN network communication service.

As shown in FIG. 2, when one session (one call connection) is provided with a WLAN communication service and an additional service of a mobile communication network, charging is required for two services.

In this case, the charging information for the communication service of the wireless LAN network is generated in the wireless LAN access network 210 to handle the communication use authentication and charging information processing for the wireless communication user of the mobile communication network (for example, a system conforming to the 3GPP standard). The AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting) server 221 is transmitted to the CGw / CCF 226, which collects and manages the billing information again, the CGw / CCF 226 is used to calculate the WLAN communication service fee . The billing information for the provision of the additional service of the mobile communication network is generated by the mobile communication network additional service providing node 225 and transmitted to the CGw / CCF 226 so that the additional service usage fee of the mobile communication network is increased in the CGw / CCF 226. Is calculated. In FIG. 2, a thick arrow indicates a connection path supported by an additional service provided in a mobile communication network through a WLAN network communication service in a structure of a second interworking network.

3 illustrates a process in which a user receives an additional service provided in a mobile communication network through a WLAN network communication service in the second interworking network structure.

The use of the wireless LAN communication service for the user is made through the steps 1 to 4, the approval of the use of the additional service of the mobile communication network is made through the steps 5 and 6, and when the actual communication is performed, the step 7 During the communication indicated by, the charging information transmission of the wireless LAN network (step 7a) and the additional service charging information transmission (step 7b) of the mobile communication network are performed periodically.

The CGw / CCF 226 is a unit for quantifying the usage fee, which is a communication service amount and an additional service amount used by a user's session. The information is recorded and charging information is collected and metered using this as an identifier or reference value.

In the WLAN network, the billing information is collected by using the session ID as an identifier, and the billing information is collected. In the mobile communication network, the billing ID is used as the identifier, the billing information is collected by the user session.

In the wireless LAN network, a session ID is generated by an access point (AP) existing in a wireless LAN access network, and a charging ID of the mobile communication network is generated by an additional service providing node existing in the mobile communication network.

In addition, the session ID currently provided by the WLAN network depends on the protocol used by the WLAN network, and uses a value less than a predetermined byte (for example, 4 bytes), and the charging ID provided by the mobile communication network is greater than or equal to the predetermined byte (for example, 4 bytes). Has a length.

As described above, in the interworking network of the conventional wireless communication system, the charging information is independently collected by the charging information for the WLAN service and the charging information for the mobile communication network service. That is, the charging information for the wireless LAN network service is used as the reference value for the session ID, and the wireless LAN access network is transmitted to the CGw / CCF via the AAA of the mobile communication network. The charging information for the mobile network service uses the charging ID as the reference value. It is delivered directly to the CGw / CCF from the node providing the communication service of the mobile communication network.

However, in the second interworking network structure, when a user receives an additional service provided by a mobile communication network through a wireless LAN communication service, charging information for the wireless LAN network service and charging information for the mobile communication network service are independently collected and their reference values are provided. Also, since the billing information cannot be distinguished from billing information generated in the same session, there is a problem in that the user of the interworking network cannot accurately present the usage fee per session to the network operator.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a billing information identifier or a reference value to collect and collect the WLAN service billing information and the mobile communication network service billing information in a wireless communication system using both a WLAN service and a mobile communication service. The present invention provides a method for collecting charging information in a communication system.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the interworking service between a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication network additional service access path through a WLAN network communication service in the interworking network of FIG. 1.

3 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a mobile communication network additional service access procedure through a wireless LAN network in an interworking network;

4 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of converting a mobile communication network billing ID from a wireless LAN network session ID according to the present invention;

*** Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings ***

210: wireless LAN access network 220: authentication / billing system

221: 3GPP AAA222A: HSS

222B: HLR223: OCS

224: packet data gateway 225: mobile communication network additional service providing node

Billing information collection method in a wireless communication system interworking with a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network according to the present invention, in a wireless communication system using a service provided by a mobile communication network through a wireless LAN network, a session identifier generated in a wireless LAN network Collecting billing information on the wireless LAN network, collecting billing information of the mobile communication network generated in relation to the session based on the billing identifier generated in the mobile communication network, and based on the session identifier and the billing identifier It is characterized in that it comprises a process of measuring the usage charge by combining the charged charge.

Preferably, the wireless LAN network session identifier and the charging identifier are included in the billing information to be transferred together, and the wireless LAN session identifier and the service charging identifier generated in the mobile communication network have a one-to-one relationship. All of the charge identifiers are generated as part of the charge identifier. In addition, the charging identifier is a bit that distinguishes whether the service to be charged through a wireless LAN network connection or a mobile communication network connection to distinguish the service connection using the wireless LAN network.

That is, the present invention, when the mobile communication network service request, the process of delivering the session ID used in the wireless LAN network billing information to the additional service providing node of the mobile communication network to be used in conjunction with the charging ID used in the mobile communication network service billing information; ; The billing server (CGw / CCF) receives the billing information collected from the WLAN network and the billing information collected from the additional service providing node of the mobile communication network, and uses the session ID of the WLAN network and the billing ID of the associated mobile communication network as reference values. It consists of a process of collecting the billing information per session, described in detail with reference to Figure 4 attached to the billing information collection method of the present invention as follows.

In order for a network operator to provide an accurate telecommunication bill to a telecommunications user, the network operator must accurately collect and store the time the session (one call connection) was made and the fee charged to the session.

In the present invention, when a user receives an additional service provided by a mobile communication network through a wireless LAN communication service in a second interworking network structure, the billing information for the wireless LAN network service per session and the charging information for the mobile communication network service are processed. . That is, the network provider provides a correlation between the charging information of the WLAN service and the charging information of the mobile communication network service generated in one session.

In addition, when a user wants to receive an additional service provided by a mobile communication network through a wireless LAN communication service, the session ID generated in the wireless LAN network is transmitted to the additional service providing node of the mobile communication network, and the session ID value is used as the charging ID. It was made.

According to the present invention, when a user wants to support an additional service provided in a mobile communication network through a wireless LAN communication service, a session ID generated in the wireless LAN network is transmitted when a service is requested to the additional service system of the mobile communication network. Then, when the additional service providing node of the mobile communication network provides the requested service, the billing ID is generated using the delivered session ID and the billing information using the reference value is transmitted to the billing server CGw / CCF.

As a result, the newly added function of the present invention is to transmit the session ID of the wireless LAN network to the additional service providing node of the mobile communication network in step 5 of FIG. 3 and the session ID delivered by the additional service providing node of the mobile communication network. To convert the billing ID to use.

If the length of the session ID value of the WLAN network is shorter than that of the charging ID value of the mobile communication network, the session ID of the WLAN network is converted into the charging ID value of the mobile communication network by converting the session ID of the WLAN network to the charging ID value of the mobile communication network. I copied it as part of the value and filled in the rest with a specific value.

In addition, a value of a specific bit, such as the first bit of the charging ID of the mobile communication network, is used to distinguish whether the charging information is charging information of a service used in a wireless LAN network or charging information of a service used in a mobile communication network.

4 illustrates an example of a method of converting a session ID value of a WLAN network into a billing ID value of a mobile communication network when the length of the session ID value of the WLAN is shorter than the charging ID value of the mobile communication network. All values of the part are filled with 0 except the first bit. In this example, if the value of the first bit of the charging ID is 1, this indicates charging information of a service used in a wireless LAN network, and 0 indicates charging information of a service used in a mobile communication network. That is, in the charging information of the service used in the WLAN, the first bit of the charging ID value is always 1, and the charging information of the service used in the mobile communication network is always 0.

As described in detail above, the present invention additionally transmits the session ID of the wireless LAN network to the additional service providing node of the mobile communication network, and converts the transmitted session ID into the billing ID in the node so that the network operator can use the interworking network user. Accurate billing information can be collected and managed, and the user can accurately present the usage fee per session when the network user requests the bill information statement from the network operator.

Claims (10)

When using the mobile communication network service, the WLAN node collects and transmits the WLAN network charging information based on the session ID generated in the WLAN network, and the mobile network node collects and transmits the charging information of the mobile communication network based on the charging ID generated in the mobile communication network. And charging the collected billing information in a wireless communication system interworking with a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network, wherein the billing information is transferred to the session ID and the billing ID as reference values. Way. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless LAN network session ID is transmitted to the mobile communication network node, and the wireless network session ID is included in the recorded mobile communication network charging information. Billing information collection method in a wireless communication system interworking with a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network characterized in that it comprises a. The WLAN network and the mobile communication network interwork with each other according to claim 2, wherein the WLAN network session ID is copied and used as a charging ID used in the mobile communication network service charging information, thereby providing a one-to-one relationship. Charging information collection method in a wireless communication system. The mobile station of claim 3, wherein the session ID value is copied as a part of the billing ID and the remaining part is filled with a specific value when the range of the session ID value is smaller than the range of the billing ID value. Charging information collection method in a wireless communication system interworking with a communication network. The wireless LAN network according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a specific portion of the charging ID is used to distinguish between charging information of a service provided to the wireless LAN network or charging information of a service provided to the mobile communication network. Charging information collection method in a wireless communication system interworking with a mobile communication network. In a wireless communication system using a service provided by a mobile communication network through a wireless LAN network, collecting the wireless LAN network charging information based on the session identifier generated in the wireless LAN network; Collecting charging information of the mobile communication network generated in association with the session based on the charging identifier generated in the mobile communication network; Billing information collection method in a wireless communication system interworking with a wireless LAN network and a mobile communication network, characterized in that comprises the step of combining the charge charged based on the session identifier and the charging identifier. [7] The wireless communication system of claim 6, wherein, in the process of collecting the charging information, the wireless LAN network and the mobile communication network interwork with each other so as to transfer the session identifier and the charging identifier of the WLAN network in the charging information. To collect your billing information. The method of claim 7, wherein the WLAN network session identifier and the service charging identifier generated in the mobile communication network have a one-to-one relationship with each other. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the billing identifier is generated using a part or all of the session identifier as part of the billing identifier. 7. The billing identifier of claim 6, wherein the billing identifier distinguishes whether a service to be charged is performed through a WLAN network connection or a mobile communication network connection. Way.