Patent ID: 8588246

Claim:
A method for determining a search space, the method comprising: determining a number of downlink control information bits of each type of control channel currently required to be monitored by a user equipment (UE); determining a temporary search space corresponding to each component carrier for carrying a data channel according to a mapping relationship between a component carrier for carrying a data channel and a component carrier for carrying a control channel, wherein the mapping relationship is currently used by the UE; determining a temporary search space corresponding to each type of control channel currently required to be monitored by the UE, according to a control channel corresponding to a component carrier of the UE for carrying a data channel and the temporary search space corresponding to each component carrier for carrying a data channel; and determining that an actual search space corresponding to a selected type of control channel with a first number of the downlink control information bits is all control channel elements (CCEs) of a union of temporary search spaces corresponding to all or a part of control channels with the first number of the downlink control information bits, or a part of the CCEs of the union of the temporary search spaces corresponding to all or a part of the control channels with the first number of the downlink control information bits, for control channels that are currently required to be monitored by the UE and are of a same CCE aggregation level, when there are one or more other types of control channels with the first number of the downlink control information bits; wherein the control channels that are currently required to be monitored by the UE and are of the same CCE aggregation level comprise the selected type of control channel and the one or more other types of control channels with the first number of the downlink control information bits, and the all or a part of control channels with the first number of the downlink control information bits are all or a part of control channels in a union of the one or more other types of control channels with the first number of the downlink control information bits and the selected type of control channel with the first number of the downlink control information bits.