Patent ID: 9386576
Filing Date: 2016-07-05
CPC Classification: H04W

Claim Text:
1. A method of indexing control channel elements in wireless communications, comprising: monitoring for downlink control messages in a set of downlink subframes, wherein at least one subframe in the set of downlink subframes is configured for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) messages and at least one subframe in the set of downlink subframes is configured for enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) messages; indexing enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs) across each subframe in the set of downlink subframes, wherein the ECCEs are indexed in a continuous manner across each subframe in the set of downlink subframes including subframes for which PDCCH is monitored and subframes for which EPDCCH is monitored, and wherein the ECCE indexing is based on a total number of subframes in the set of downlink subframes; receiving a downlink control message in at least one subframe in the set of downlink subframes, the downlink control message comprising an EPDCCH message; determining an ECCE index associated with the received downlink control message comprising the EPDCCH message; identifying uplink control channel resources based at least in part on the determined ECCE index; and transmitting an acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) indication associated with the received downlink control message comprising the EPDCCH message on the identified uplink control channel resources.