System and Method for Transmitting and Receiving Control Channels

Abstract

A method for transmitting resource allocation information to a wireless node in a communications system includes selecting a search space from one of a first search space and a second search space, the first search space associated with a first set of control channel parameters and the second search space associated with a second set of control channel parameters. The method also includes modulating the first control information, and mapping the modulated first control information onto the selected search space in a first subframe, where at least one of modulating the first control information and mapping the modulated first control information is according to a selected set of control channel parameters associated with the selected search space. The method further includes transmitting the first subframe to the wireless node, and transmitting a first parameter indicator identifying the selected set of control channel parameters to the wireless node.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 mapping, by an evolved Node B (“eNB”), control information to a control region of a first subframe;   modulating, by the eNB, data channel resource allocation information for a data channel for a user equipment (“UE”);   mapping, by the eNB, the modulated data channel resource allocation information onto a first UE-specific physical downlink control channel (“PDCCH”) located in a data region of the first subframe;   wherein the first subframe includes a common search space in addition to the first UE-specific PDCCH;   wherein the control information mapped to the control region does not include specific resource allocation information for the first UE-specific PDCCH mapped to the data region; and   transmitting, by the eNB, the first subframe to the UE.