Method and apparatus for enhancing receiving efficiency of an multimedia broadcast multicast service in a wireless communications system

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a method and related communications device for enhancing receiving efficiency of a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) in a wireless communications system, and more particularly to a method and related communications device for avoiding waste of processing resources and power in a user equipment (UE) of a wireless communications system.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a communications device.

#FIG. 2 is a diagram of the program code shown in FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a flowchart diagram of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

#Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a functional block diagram of a communications device 100. For the sake of brevity, FIG. 1 only shows an input device 102, an output device 104, a control circuit 106, a central processing unit (CPU) 108, a memory 110, a program code 112, and a transceiver 114 of the communications device 100. In the communications device 100, the control circuit 106 executes the program code 112 in the memory 110 through the CPU 108, thereby controlling an operation of the communications device 100. The communications device 100 can receive signals input by a user through the input device 102, such as a keyboard, and can output images and sounds through the output device 104, such as a monitor or speakers. The transceiver 114 is used to receive and transmit wireless signals, delivering received signals to the control circuit 106, and outputting signals generated by the control circuit 106 wirelessly. From a perspective of a communications protocol framework, the transceiver 114 can be seen as a portion of Layer 1, and the control circuit 106 can be utilized to realize functions of Layer 2 and Layer 3. Preferably, the communications device 100 is utilized in a third generation (3G) mobile communications system.

#Please continue to refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the program code 112 shown in FIG. 1. The program code 112 includes an application layer 200, a Layer 3 202, and a Layer 2 206, and is coupled to a Layer 1 218. The Layer 3 202 includes a buffer 212 for storing radio resource control (RRC) messages 208 and accordingly generating RRC protocol data units (PDUs) 214. The application layer 200 provides control signals required by necessary procedures, which can be outputted by attaching the control signals to the RRC PDUs 214 for setting, modifying, or releasing the Layer 2 interface 206 and the Layer 1 interface 218, to establish, modify, or cancel data exchange channels.

#The communications device 100 can provide MBMS services and, for improvement of MBMS receiving efficiency, the Layer 3 202 can transmit the MBMS services via a single frequency network (SFN) so as to reduce service interruption due to frequency switching during transmissions. In this situation, the embodiment of the present invention provides an SFN indicating program code 220 for indicating whether the SFN is used for MBMS service transmission, in order to enhancing receiving efficiency of an MBMS service for the UE.