Method and device for grouping user equipments in proximity services restricted discovery

1. A grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC), used in a communications system, comprising:

broadcasting, by a base station, grouping requests to a plurality of user equipments (UEs) in an area;

determining, by the base station, whether there is at least one group leader among the UEs; and

receiving, by the base station, a grouping report from the group leader when determining that there is a group leader among the UEs,

wherein the grouping report records UE identifiers of the UEs in a group corresponding to the group leader.

2. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 1 , the method further comprising:

starting, by the base station, a first timer;

determining that there is no group leader among the UEs when the first timer has expired and the base station does not receive the grouping report from the group leader; and

performing a local group leader selection process.

3. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 2 , the local group leader selection process further comprising:

broadcasting, by the base station, group leader selection requests to the UEs;

starting, by the UEs, a respective random backoff timer after the UEs receive the group leader selection requests; and

unicasting, by the UEs corresponding to the respective random backoff timer, a group leader selection accept to the base station and broadcasting the group leader selection accepts to remaining UEs, respectively, when the respective random backoff timer has expired, wherein a first UE whose random backoff timer has expired and which does not receive the group leader selection accepts from the remaining UEs becomes the group leader.

4. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 3 , the local group leader selection process further comprising:

stopping the respective random backoff timer after the remaining UEs receive the respective group leader selection accept.

5. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 3 , the local group leader selection process further comprising:

starting a second timer after the base station receives the group leader selection accept transmitted from the first UE; and

transmitting, by the base station, a group leader selection complete message to the group leader when the second timer has expired.

6. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 5 , the local group leader selection process further comprising:

starting, by the group leader, a third timer, and receiving a respective grouping response transmitted by the remaining UEs, wherein the grouping response at least includes a UE identifier corresponding to the UE itself; and

generating, by the group leader, the grouping report according to the grouping responses, and transmitting the grouping report to the base station after the third timer has expired.

7. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein before the base station broadcasts the grouping requests to the plurality of UEs, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the base station, a grouping instruction transmitted by a Machine Type Communication (MTC) application/a MTC server,

wherein the grouping instruction is used to request a grouping result report of all UEs in the area.

8. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 7 , wherein after the base station receives the grouping report from the group leader, the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the base station, the grouping report to a Mobility Management Entity (MME); and

transmitting, by the MME, the grouping result report to the MTC application/the MTC server according to the grouping report,

wherein the grouping result report includes at least one group identifier and an International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI) list.

9. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 8 , the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the MME, the grouping result report to the base station according to the grouping report.

10. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 9 , the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the base station, a group-grouping result report to the group leader.

11. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 3 , the method further comprising:

setting the random backoff timer of the group leader to 0.

12. A grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC), used in a user equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving a group leader selection request;

starting a random backoff timer; and

broadcasting the group leader selection accepts to the base station and at least one second UE, respectively, when the random backoff timer has expired and the UE does not receive any group leader selection accept from the at least one second UE, wherein the UE becomes a group leader; and

receiving a group leader selection complete message transmitted from the base station.

13. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:

stopping the respective random backoff timer when the second UEs receive the respective group leader selection accepts.

14. A communications system for grouping user equipments (UEs) based on machine type communication (MTC), comprising:

a base station, broadcasting grouping requests; and

a plurality of UEs, receiving the respective grouping requests;

wherein the base station determines whether there is at least one group leader among the UEs; the base station receives a grouping report from the group leader when determining that there is a group leader among the UEs, wherein the grouping report records UE identifiers of the UEs in a group corresponding to the group leader.

15. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the base station further comprises:

a first timer,

wherein the base station starts the first timer after broadcasting the grouping requests; the base station determines that there is no group leader among the UEs when the first timer has expired and the base station does not receive the grouping report from the group leader; and the base station performs a local group leader selection process.

16. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the local group leader selection process further comprises:

the base station broadcasts group leader selection requests to the UEs;

the UEs start a respective random backoff timer after the UEs receive the group leader selection requests; and

the UEs corresponding to the respective random backoff timers unicast a group leader selection accept to the base station and broadcast the group leader selection accepts to remaining UEs, respectively, when the respective random backoff timer has expired, wherein a first UE whose random backoff timer has expired and which does not receive the group leader selection accepts from the remaining UEs becomes the group leader.

17. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the local group leader selection process further comprises:

the remaining UEs stop the respective random backoff timer after receiving the respective group leader selection accept.

18. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the local group leader selection process further comprises:

the base station starts a second timer after receiving the group leader selection accept transmitted from the first UE; and

the base station transmits a group leader selection complete message to the group leader when the second timer has expired.

19. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 18 , wherein after the base station determines that there is a group leader among the UEs, the group leader starts a third timer and receives a respective grouping response transmitted by the remaining UEs, wherein the grouping response at least includes a UE identifier corresponding to the UE itself; and the group leader generates the grouping report according to the grouping responses, and transmits the grouping report to the base station after the third timer has expired.

20. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 14 , wherein before the base station broadcasts the grouping requests to the UEs, the base station receives a grouping instruction transmitted by a Machine Type Communication (MTC) application/a MTC server, wherein the grouping instruction is used to request a grouping result report of all UEs in the area.

21. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 20 , further comprising:

a Mobility Management Entity (MME),

wherein after the base station receives the grouping report from the group leader, the base station transmits the grouping report to the MME; the MME transmits the grouping result report to the MTC application/the MTC server according to the grouping report, wherein the grouping result report includes at least one group identifier and an International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI) list.

22. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the MME transmits the grouping result report to the base station according to the grouping report.

23. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 22 , wherein the base station transmits a group-grouping result report to the group leader.

24. The communications system for grouping UEs based on MTC as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the random backoff timer of the group leader is set to 0.

25. A communication device for grouping user equipments (UEs) based on machine type communication (MTC), comprising:

a control circuit;

a processor installed in the control circuit; and

a memory installed in the control circuit and operatively coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to execute a program code stored in the memory to:

receive a group leader selection request transmitted from a base station;

start a random backoff timer; and

broadcast the group leader selection accepts to the base station and at least one second UE, respectively, when the random backoff timer has expired and the UE does not receive any group leader selection accept from the at least one second UE, wherein the UE becomes a group leader; and

receive a group leader selection complete message transmitted from the base station.

26. The grouping method based on machine type communication (MTC) as claimed in claim 25 , wherein the processor further executes the program code stored in the memory to:

stop the respective random backoff timer when the second UEs receive the respective group leader selection accepts.