WO2019240633A1

WO2019240633A1 - Methods and apparatuses for handling uplink control channel resources

Info

Publication number: WO2019240633A1
Application number: PCT/SE2018/050603
Authority: WO
Inventors: Annie SÖDERLUND
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2018-06-11
Filing date: 2018-06-11
Publication date: 2019-12-19

Abstract

Embodiments herein relate to a method performed by a UE (120), for handling of UL control channel resources for the UE (120). The UE obtains an UL control channel resource for transmitting a Scheduling Request, SR. The UE (120) receives, from a network node (110), a transmission. When the UE (120) has no data to transmit, the UE (120) transmits feedback of reception of the transmission and omits transmitting SR on the obtained UL control channel resource for SR. Embodiments further relate to a method performed by a network node (110), for handling of UL control channel resources for a UE (120). The network node (110) sends a transmission to the UE (120). The network node (110) further receives, from the UE (120), a transmission comprising a resource for transmitting SR, wherein the resource for transmitting SR lacks a SR and comprises a feedback of reception of the transmission related to the transmission sent to the UE (120).

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR HANDLING UPLINK CONTROL CHANNEL

RESOURCES

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatuses for handling uplink control channel resources in a communications network. In particular the embodiments herein relate to a User Equipment (UE), a network node and corresponding methods.

Embodiments also relate to a computer program product and a computer-readable storage medium for performing the methods. BACKGROUND

Among the signaling from a User Equipment (UE) to a network node in a communications network, Scheduling Request (SR) and Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback are among the important ones. SR is used by the UE to request resource allocation in an Uplink (UL) so for sending data. HARQ feedback is necessary for the HARQ operation. The feedback is an Acknowledgement (ACK) when the UE has recognized data intended for it on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and the UE has not detected any transmission errors on the PDSCH data. The feedback is a Non- Acknowledgement (NACK) when the UE has recognized data intended for it on the downlink shared channel (PDSCH) but the UE has detected some transmission errors on the PDSCH data. The HARQ feedback may be sent in the same time slot, which may in the following also be referred to as a slot, or in a following slot or subframe. When the UE does not recognize data intended for it on the downlink shared channel, it does not send any feedback. Since the UE determines if there is data intended for it on the PDSCH by reading the PDCCH control channel, a transmission error on the PDCCH may lead to a situation where although the network node has sent data and expects a HARQ feedback, the UE does not recognize data sent to it on the PDSCH, and therefore does not send any feedback to the network node. When the network node has sent data to the UE in a first subframe, but does not receive any feedback within a predetermined number of subframes from the first subframe, the network node interprets this as“the UE did not receive the data” and retransmits the data. In effect, the network node handles this equivalent to a NACK.

The UE may send HARQ feedback on the PUCCH or on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), depending on which channel is currently available at subframe (n+4). The SR is however always sent on the PUCCH. On the PUCCH, SR and HARQ feedback information are transmitted by using“SR” resource and“HARQ” resource respectively. There are cases where the UE needs to transmit both SR and HARQ feedback at the same time, but both SR and HARQ resources cannot be sent simultaneously, as it would violate a single carrier rule for the UL as specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The single carrier rule requires that all subcarriers allocated to a single user, such as e.g. a UE, must be contiguous in frequency within each time slot. The 3GPP standards therefore define a mechanism where the SR and HARQ feedback can be sent jointly on the PUCCH, by using only the SR resource. The signaling is able to convey the following cases: (1 ) SR alone without HARQ feedback, (2) SR with HARQ ACK and (3)

SR with HARQ NACK, using only the SR resource.

Regarding HARQ feedback, the following cases exist:

• The UE has received control signaling on the PDCCH indicating that there is data on PDSCH intended for it, and the data on PDSCH is received without error, at least one transport block passed the CRC check. The UE sends HARQ ACK.

• The UE has received control signaling on the PDCCH indicating data on

PDSCH intended for it, and the data on PDSCH is received with error, none of the transport blocks passed the CRC check. The UE sends HARQ NACK.

• The UE has not received control signaling on the PDCCH indicating data on PDSCH intended for it. A possible cause may be that the network node has sent data, but the PDCCH information was corrupted. In this case the UE does not send any feedback.

In Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless systems the SR resources are dedicated resources configured for each UE. This configuration is transmitted to the UE via an RRC configuration. The resources for HARQ feedback, which hereinafter may also be referred to as HARQ ACK/NACK, are broadcasted in the network.

However, in 5th-Generation Wireless Systems (5G), which may also be referred to as New Radio (NR), the UE shall also be configured with dedicated resources for PUCCH HARQ feedback, such as HARQ ACK/NACK and shall be sent in the RRC configuration to the UE. Hence, the UE in 5G/NR is configured with both dedicated SR resources and dedicated HARQ feedback resources, not just SR resources as in LTE. If the UE has data to transmit in the UL, which may also be referred to as the SR being positive, the HARQ ACK/NACK and SR shall as previously be sent on the same PUCCH resource. When to use resources for SR and HARQ ACK/NACK are given to the UE at different occasions. When to use the SR is indicated by the configuration sent in the RRC configuration message, and what ACK/NACK resource to use is indicated in a down link control information (DCI) message.

In LTE, the network node is able to select an available resource from the broadcasted resources for allocating HARQ feedback from the UE. However, since dedicated HARQ feedback resources are configured for each UE in 5G/NR, the risk of running out of PUCCH resources for HARQ feedback for a single UE is higher in NR than in LTE. The UE receives a dedicated number of PUCCH resources at setup, i.e. not all HARQ feedback resources can be chosen amongst when allocating resources for HARQ feedback transmission for the UE.

When the number of scheduled DL UEs per slot starts to increase together with number of connected UEs, some DL transmissions might be rejected since the appropriate PUCCH resources may already be allocated to other UEs and thus are not available for the UEs related to the rejected DL transmissions.

In the example specified in the table above, more than twelve UEs are connected to the network node and have received their dedicated resources for transmitting HARQ feedback, which are indicated using a UL resource indicator, in this example indicated using Acknowledgement Resource Indicators (ARI) 00, 01 , 10 and 1 1 . Assuming that a maximum of four DL UEs are scheduled per slot and the UEs being referred to as UE1 , UE2, UE3 and UE4 in the table are scheduled with PUCCH resource 1 , 2, 3, 4 assigned respectively in a DL slot. A UE being referred to as UE13 cannot be scheduled even if it may be the only UE with DL data although there are still 8 resources (5-12) left that are not occupied since UE13 and UE1 are scheduled with the same PUCCH resources for transmitting HARQ feedback and the resources 1 , 2, 3, 4 are assigned to the UEs UE1 , UE2, UE3 and UE4.

SUMMARY

Due to the solution with dedicated resources for sending HARQ feedback for each UE as proposed by 3GPP, two PUCCH resources may be scheduled for a UE in a slot but only one may be used. In a first scenario, the UE has data to transmit in the UL and transmits a SR and HARQ feedback jointly, which may also be referred to as multiplexed, in the SR resource. The scheduled HARQ feedback resources will then be empty and unused. In a further scenario the UE has no data to transmit in the UL and transmits HARQ feedback in the HARQ feedback resource. In this case the SR resource will be left empty and unused. As a consequence, resources will be wasted. The air interface is the most limited resource in 5G/NR and in this case PUCCH resources are not fully utilized.

An object of the embodiments herein is thus to provide a method for improving the utilization of the PUCCH resources and thereby provide an improved capacity of the communication network.

According to a first aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a UE for handling of UL control channel resources for the UE. The UE obtains an UL control channel resource for transmitting a SR. The UE receives a transmission from a network node. When the UE has no data to transmit, the UE transmits feedback of reception of the transmission using and omits transmitting SR on the obtained UL control channel resource for SR.

According to a second aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a network node, for handling of UL control channel resources for a UE. The method comprises sending, to the UE, a transmission. The network node receives a transmission from the UE. The transmission comprises a resource for transmitting SR. The resource for transmitting SR lacks an SR and comprises a feedback of reception of the transmission related to the transmission sent to the UE. According to a third aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a UE, for handling of UL control channel resources for the UE. The UE is configured to obtain an UL control channel resource for transmitting a SR. The UE is further configured to receive, from a network node, a transmission. The UE is further configured to, when the UE has no data to transmit, omit transmitting SR and transmit feedback of reception of the

transmission using the obtained UL control channel resource for SR.

According to a fourth aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a network node, for handling of UL control channel resources for a UE. The network node is configured to send, to the UE, a transmission. The network node is further configured to receive, from the UE, a transmission comprising a resource for transmitting SR, wherein the resource for transmitting SR lacks a SR and comprises a feedback of reception of the transmission related to the transmission sent to the UE.

By sending the HARQ feedback on the already configured SR resource also when the UE has no data to transmit, i.e. when the UE does not send a scheduling request to the network node, the resources for HARQ feedback, such as HARQ ACK/NACK resources, may be used for other purposes, such as other UE’s HARQ feedback or for transmitting data to the network node. Thereby a better utilization of the UL resources may be achieved, which allows a higher number of UEs to be scheduled in the UL, such as in the UL control channel or in the UL shared channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a wireless

communications network;

Fig. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the signaling flow according to the embodiments herein;

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a UE;

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a network node;

Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating some first embodiments of the UE; Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating some second embodiments of the UE;

Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating some first embodiments of the

network node;

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating some second embodiments of the network node;

Fig. 9 is a schematic overview of a telecommunication network connected via an intermediate network to a host computer in accordance with some embodiments;

Fig. 10 is a schematic overview of a host computer communicating via a base station with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments;

Fig. 1 1 is a flowchart depicting methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

Fig. 12 is a flowchart depicting methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

Fig. 13 is a flowchart depicting methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

Fig. 14 is a flowchart depicting methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication network, according to some of the embodiments herein. The wireless communication network 100 may e.g. be a Local Area Network (LAN), such as e.g. a Wi-Fi network, or a Radio Access Network (RAN).

The wireless communication network 100 may serve one or more User Equipment

(UE)s 120, such as e.g. mobile phones, smart phones, laptop computers, tablet computers, Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices, mobile stations, stations (ST A), or any other devices that can provide wireless communication and thus may also be referred to as a wireless device. The UE 120 may communicate via the wireless communication network 100. The wireless communication network 100 further comprises a network node 1 10, such as e.g. a radio access node e.g., a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be denoted, for example, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), or gNodeB (gNB) as denoted in NR. NR may also be referred to as 5G. The network node 1 10 serves a coverage area 1 15, which may also be referred to as e.g. a cell, a beam or a beam group.

The wireless communication network 100 further comprises a core network 130. The core network 130 may comprise one or more core network nodes, such as e.g. a Serving Gateway (Serving GW), a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN GW), a MME and/or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS). The core network 130 may further be connected to an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core network 140.

In general, UEs 120 that are within coverage of the network node 1 10, such as e.g., within the cell 1 15 served by network node 1 10, communicate with the network node 1 10 by transmitting and receiving wireless signals over a radio channel 125, which may also be referred to as a link. For example, the UE 120 and network node 1 10 may communicate wireless signals 125 containing voice traffic, data traffic, and/or control signals. When the network node 1 10 is communicating voice traffic, data traffic, and/or control signals to the UE 120 it may be referred to as a serving network node for the UE 120. The wireless signals 125 may include both downlink (DL) transmissions, i.e. from the network node 1 10 to the UE 120, and uplink (UL) transmissions, i.e. from the UE 120 to the network node 1 10. Each network node 1 10 may have a single transmitter or multiple transmitters for transmitting signals 125 to the UE 120. In some embodiments, the network node 1 10 may comprise a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system. Similarly, each UE 120 may have a single receiver or multiple receivers for receiving signals 125 from the network node 1 10 or other UEs. Vice versa, the network node 1 10 may have a single receiver or multiple receivers for receiving signals 125 transmitted from the UE 120 or other network nodes, and the UE 120 may have a single transmitter or multiple transmitters for transmitting signals 125 to the network node 1 10. When the UE 120 connects to the communications network it may send a network attach request to the network node 1 10.

Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating the signaling flow according to embodiments herein. Action 201 : The network node 1 10, referred to as gNB 1 10 in Figure 2, may provide an UL control channel resource for transmitting SR, which may also be referred to as a SR resource to the UE 120. This is to inform the UE 120 about which UL control channel resource the UE 120 may transmit the SR on when the UE 120 has data to transmit to the network node 1 10.

The network node 1 10 may further provide a plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission, such as e.g. HARQ feedback. The UL control channel resource for transmitting SR and/or the plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission may be provided to the UE 120 during UE setup, e.g. by sending an RRC configuration and/or reconfiguration message to the UE 120.

In one example, the resource for sending HARQ ACK/NACK may be configured on the same resource as the resource for sending SR. This may e.g. be achieved by setting the parameters shown in italic below for the HARQ ACK/NACK configuration sent to the UE 120 during UE setup to the same values as for the SR configuration, which may be sent in a SchedulingRequestResourceConfiguration as specified in 3GPP TS 38.331 v. 15.0.

SR configuration:

SchedulingRequestResourceConfig

resources = PUCCH-Resource

PUCCH-Resourceld = x

startingPRB

intraSlotFrequencyHopping = enabled

secondHopPRB

format

initialCyclicShift =

nrofSymbols

startingSymbollndex

timeDomainOCC

PUCCH configuration used for HARQ feedback, such as ACK/NACK:

pucch-ResourceSetld = 0

PUCCH-ResourceSet =

pucch-ResourceSetld = 0

resources = PUCCH-Resource

PUCCH-Resourceld = x

startingPRB

intraSlotFrequencyHopping = enabled

secondHopPRB

format

initialCyclicShift =

nrofSymbols

startingSymbollndex

timeDomainOCC

Wherein PRB means Physical Resource Block and OCC means Orthogonal Cover

Code.

The PUCCH Format 1 mentioned above comprises scheduling requests and HARQ feedback, such as acknowledgement responses (ACK) or retransmission requests (NACK).

This action 201 corresponds to action 301 discussed in relation to figure 3 and action 401 as discussed in relation to figure 4.

Action 202: The network node 1 10, sends a DL transmission to the UE 120, which requires the UE 120 to send feedback of reception of the transmission to the network node 1 10. The transmission sent to the UE 120 from the network node 1 10 may comprise a DCI. The transmission may further comprise an indication indicating the UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node 1 10. The indication comprised in the transmission received from the network node 1 10 may indicate that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback, such as HARQ ACK/NACK when the UE 120 lacks data to transmit in the UL.

According to one example herein, the network node 1 10 may have the UE 120 scheduled in DL and sends a transmission comprising DCI to the UE 120.

When the slot in the resource grid for sending HARQ feedback in response to the transmission sent to the UE 120 is a slot comprising an SR resource, the network node 1 10 may indicate to the UE 120 that the HARQ feedback is to be sent on the SR resource.

When the slot in the resource grid for sending HARQ feedback in response to the transmission sent to the UE 120 is a slot not comprising an SR resource, the network node 1 10 may indicate to the UE 120 that the HARQ feedback is to be sent on one of the one or more HARQ feedback resources not already occupied.

By sending HARQ feedback on the SR resource when the UE 120 has no data to transmit, which may also be referred to as the UE 120 having a negative SR, a waste of resources is avoided. Whether the slot is an SR slot or not may be given at SR configuration as described in Action 201 , such as e.g. by means of a periodicityAndOffset parameter as defined by 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.331 v.15.0.0. The periodicityAndOffset parameter may be used to configure which slot the UE 120 is allowed to send positive SR on for the given PUCCH resource.

The network node 1 10 may indicate the resource to send the HARQ feedback on using a DCI resource indicator, such as e.g. a PUCCH Resource Indicator as specified in 3GPP TS 38.213 v.15.1 .0.

This action 202 corresponds to action 302 discussed in relation to figure 3 and action 402 as discussed in relation to figure 4.

Action 203: When the UE 120 has no data transmit in the UL, the UE 120 sends an UL transmission to the network node 1 10 comprising an SR resource. However, the UE 120 omits to send a SR in the SR resource, but instead sends feedback of the reception of the transmission from the network node 1 10 in the SR resource. Hence, the resource for sending SR lacks a SR but comprises a HARQ feedback of reception of the transmission from the network node received by the UE 120 in action 202.

By sending the HARQ feedback on the SR resource when the UE 120 has no data to transmit, i.e. when the UE 120 does not send a scheduling request to the network node 1 10, the resources for HARQ feedback, such as HARQ ACK/NACK resources, may be used for other purposes, such as e.g. other UE’s HARQ feedback and/or for transmitting data to the network node 1 10.

This action 203 corresponds to action 303 discussed in relation to figure 3 and action 403 as discussed in relation to figure 4.

Figure 3 illustrates the method actions performed by the UE 120, for handling of UL control channel resources for the UE 120. The UL control channel may e.g. be a PUCCH.

Action 301 : The UE 120 obtains an UL control channel resource for transmitting the SR. The UL resource for transmitting SR may herein also be referred to as an SR resource. The UE 120 may further obtain a dedicated UL control channel resource for transmitting the UL SR, and a plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission, such as e.g. HARQ feedback. The UL control channel resource for transmitting SR and/or the plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission may be obtained at UE setup. This may e.g. be performed by receiving a connection setup message, such as e.g. an RRC configuration and/or RRC reconfiguration message, from the network node 1 10.

In one example, the resource for sending HARQ ACK/NACK may be configured on the same resource as the resource for sending SR. This may e.g. be achieved by setting the parameters shown in italic below for the HARQ ACK/NACK configuration received from the network node 1 10 during UE setup to the same values as for the SR configuration.

SR configuration:

SchedulingRequestResourceConfig

resources = PUCCH-Resource

PUCCH-Resourceld = x

startingPRB

intraSlotFrequencyHopping = enabled

secondHopPRB

format

initialCyclicShift =

nrofSymbols

startingSymbollndex

timeDomainOCC

PUCCH configuration used for HARQ feedback, such as ACK/NACK:

pucch-ResourceSetld = 0

PUCCH-ResourceSet =

pucch-ResourceSetld = 0

resources = PUCCH-Resource

PUCCH-Resourceld = x

startingPRB

intraSlotFrequencyHopping = enabled

secondHopPRB

format

initialCyclicShift =

nrofSymbols

startingSymbollndex

timeDomainOCC

This action 301 corresponds to action 201 discussed in relation to figure 2 and action 401 as discussed in relation to figure 4.

Action 302: The UE 120 receives a transmission from the network node 1 10. The transmission received from the network node 1 10 requires the UE 120 to send, which may also be referred to as transmit, feedback of reception of the transmission to the network node 1 10. The transmission received from the network node 1 10 may comprise DCI.

The transmission may further comprise an indication of an UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node 1 10. The indication comprised in the transmission received from the network node 1 10 may indicate that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback, such as HARQ ACK/NACK when the UE 120 lacks data to transmit in the UL.

This action 302 corresponds to action 202 discussed in relation to figure 2 and action 402 as discussed in relation to figure 4.

Action 303: When the UE 120 has no data to transmit, the UE 120 transmits feedback of reception of the transmission received from the network node 1 10 and omits transmitting SR on the obtained UL control channel resource for SR.

This action 303 corresponds to action 203 discussed in relation to figure 2 and action 403 as discussed in relation to figure 4.

Figure 4 illustrates the method actions performed by the network node 1 10, for handling of UL control channel resources for the UE 120. The UL control channel may e.g. be a PUCCH.

Action 401 : The network node 1 10 may provide an UL control channel resource for transmitting the SR to the UE. The UL resource for transmitting SR may herein also be referred to as an SR resource. The network node 1 10 may further provide a dedicated UL control channel resource for transmitting the UL SR, and a plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission, such as e.g. HARQ feedback. The UL control channel resource for transmitting SR and/or the plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission may be provided to the UE 120 by sending a connection setup message, such as e.g. an RRC configuration and/or RRC reconfiguration message, to the UE 120.

The SR and HARQ feedback, in the following also referred to as HARQ

ACK/NACK, resources may be provided to the UE 120 at UE setup, e.g. upon RRC configuration and/or RRC reconfiguration. The configuration for HARQ ACK/NACK resources may be given the same resource as the SR resource.

In one example, the resource for sending HARQ ACK/NACK may be configured on the same resource as the resource for sending SR. This may e.g. be achieved by setting the parameters shown in italic below for the HARQ ACK/NACK configuration sent to the UE 120 during UE setup to the same values as for the SR configuration.

SR configuration:

SchedulingRequestResourceConfig

resources = PUCCH-Resource

PUCCH-Resourceld = x

startingPRB

intraSlotFrequencyHopping = enabled

secondHopPRB

format

initialCyclicShift =

nrofSymbols

startingSymbollndex

timeDomainOCC

PUCCH configuration used for HARQ feedback, such as ACK/NACK:

pucch-ResourceSetld = 0

PUCCH-ResourceSet =

pucch-ResourceSetld = 0

resources = PUCCH-Resource

PUCCH-Resourceld = x

startingPRB

intraSlotFrequencyHopping = enabled

secondHopPRB

format

initialCyclicShift =

nrofSymbols

startingSymbollndex

timeDomainOCC

This action 401 corresponds to action 201 discussed in relation to figure 2 and action 301 as discussed in relation to figure 3.

Action 402: The network node 1 10 sends a transmission to the UE 120. The transmission sent to the UE may comprise DCI. The transmission may further comprise an indication, indicating an UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node 1 10.

The indication comprised in the transmission sent to the UE 120 may indicate that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback when the UE lacks data to transmit in the UL.

According to one example herein, the network node 1 10 may have a UE 120 scheduled in DL and sends a transmission comprising the DCI to the UE 120.

By sending HARQ feedback on the SR resource when the UE 120 has no data to transmit, which may also be referred to as the UE 120 having a negative SR, a wasting of resources is avoided. Whether or not the slot is a SR slot may be given at SR

configuration as described in Action 201 , such as e.g. by means of a periodicityAndOffset parameter. The periodicityAndOffset parameter may configure which slot the UE 120 is allowed to send positive SR on for the given PUCCH resource.

The network node 1 10 may indicate the resource to send the HARQ feedback on using a DCI resource indicator, such as e.g. an PUCCH Resource Indicator as defined by 3GPP TS 38.212 V. 15.1.0.

This action 402 corresponds to action 202 as discussed in relation to figure 2 and action 302 as discussed in relation to figure 3.

Action 403: The network node 1 10 receives, from the UE 120, a transmission comprising a resource for transmitting SR, wherein the resource for transmitting SR lacks a SR and comprises a feedback of reception of the transmission related to the transmission sent to the UE 120. The resource for transmitting SR lacking a SR shall herein be interpreted as the resource not comprising a SR.

This action 403 corresponds to action 203 discussed in relation to figure 2 and action 303 as discussed in relation to figure 3.

Figure 5 is a block diagram depicting the UE 120 for handling of uplink, UL, control channel resources for the UE 120. The UL control channel may be a PUCCH. The UE 120 may comprise a processing unit 500, such as e.g. one or more processors, an obtaining unit 501 , a receiving unit 502 and/or a transmitting unit 503 as exemplifying hardware units configured to perform the method as described herein.

The UE 120 is configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 500 and/or the obtaining unit 501 and/or the receiving unit 502 being configured to, obtain an UL control channel resource for transmitting a SR.

The UE 120 is further configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 500 and/or the receiving unit 502 being configured to, receive a transmission from the network node 1 10. The transmission received from the network node may comprise DCI. The transmission received from the network node 1 10 may further comprise an indication of an UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node 1 10. The indication comprised in the transmission received from the network node 1 10 may indicate that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback when the UE lacks data to transmit in the UL. The UE 120 lacking data to transmit shall herein be interpreted as the UE 120 not having any data to transmit to the network node 1 10. The indication comprised in the transmission received from the network node 1 10 may further indicate that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback when the UE 120 lacks data to transmit in the UL.

The UE 120 is further configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 500 and/or the transmitting unit 503 being configured to, when the UE 120 has no data to transmit, omit transmitting SR and transmit feedback of reception of the transmission using the obtained UL control channel resource for SR.

The UE 120 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 500 and/or the obtaining unit 501 and/or the receiving unit 502 being configured to, obtain the dedicated UL control channel resource for transmitting an UL SR, and a plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission.

The UE 120 may further be configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 500 and/or the obtaining unit 501 and/or the receiving unit 502 being configured to, obtain the UL control channel resource for transmitting the SR by receiving a connection setup message, such as e.g. an RRC configuration and/or reconfiguration message, from the network node 1 10.

The embodiments herein relating to the UE 120 may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors of a processing circuitry in the US 120 as depicted in Figure 6, which processing circuitry is configured to perform the method actions according to Figure 3 and the embodiments described above for the UE 120.

The embodiments may be performed by the processor together with respective computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the serving core network node 130, 140. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as e.g. a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the UE 120.

The UE 120 may further comprise a memory. The memory may comprise one or more memory units to be used to store data on, such as software, patches, system information, configurations, diagnostic data, performance data and/or applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar.

The method according to the embodiments described herein for the UE 120 may be implemented by means of e.g. a computer program product 505, 601 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the UE 120. The computer program product 505, 601 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 506, 602, e.g. a disc or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 506, 602, having stored thereon the computer program, may comprise instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the UE 120. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program may also be comprised on a carrier, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or a computer readable storage medium.

As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or units may be implemented using digital logic and/or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and/or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a network node.

Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term“processor” or“controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random-access memory for storing software and/or program or application data, and non volatile memory. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included. Designers of network nodes or devices will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

Figure 7 is a block diagram depicting the network node 1 10 of a communications network, for handling of UL control channel resources for the UE 120. The UL control channel may e.g. be a PUCCH. The network node 1 10 may comprise a processing unit 700, such as e.g. one or more processors, a sending unit 701 , a receiving unit 702 and/or a providing unit 703 as exemplifying hardware units configured to perform the method as described herein.

The network node 1 10 is configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 700 and/or the sending unit 701 being configured to, send a transmission to the UE 120. The transmission sent to the UE 120 may comprise DCI. The transmission sent to the UE 120 may further comprise an indication of an UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node 1 10. The indication comprised in the transmission sent to the UE 120 may indicate that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback when the UE 120 lacks data, i.e. has no data, to transmit in the UL.

The network node 1 10 is configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 700 and/or the receiving unit 702 being configured to, receive, from the UE 120, a

transmission comprising a resource for transmitting SR, wherein the resource for transmitting SR lacks a SR and comprises a feedback of reception of the transmission related to the transmission sent to the UE 120.

The network node 1 10 may be configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 700 and/or the providing unit 703 and/or the sending unit 702 being configured to, provide an UL control channel resource for transmitting the SR to the UE 120.

The network node 1 10 may be configured to, e.g. by means of the processing unit 700 and/or the providing unit 703 and/or the sending unit 702 being configured to, provide the UL control channel resource by being configured to send a connection setup message, such as e.g. RRC configuration and/or RRC reconfiguration message, to the UE 120.

The embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors of a processing circuitry in the network node 1 10 as depicted in Figure 8, which processing circuitry is configured to perform the method actions according to Figure 4 and the embodiments described above for the network node 1 10.

The embodiments may be performed by the processor together with respective computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the serving core network node 130, 140. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as e.g. a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the network node 1 10.

The network node 1 10 may further comprise a memory. The memory may comprise one or more memory units to be used to store data on, such as software, patches, system information, configurations, diagnostic data, performance data and/or applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar.

The method according to the embodiments described herein for the network node 1 10 may be implemented by means of e.g. a computer program product 705, 801 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the serving core network node 130, 140. The computer program product 705, 801 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 706, 802, e.g. a disc or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 706, 802, having stored thereon the computer program, may comprise instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the network node 1 10. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program may also be comprised on a carrier, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or a computer readable storage medium.

The network node 1 10, described in the embodiments herein may also be implemented in a cloud. Although the method actions performed by the network node 1 10 herein are discussed in the context of a radio access node, the method may also be performed by a core network node or a distributed node comprised in a first cloud, such as e.g. a server and/or a datacenter. The method actions may e.g. be performed by a logical function, which may be a centralized service hosted on the core network node or the distributed node.

It shall be noted that the nodes mentioned herein may be arranged as separate nodes or may be collocated within one or more nodes in the communications network. When a plurality of nodes are collocated in one node, the single node may be configured to perform the actions of each of the collocated nodes.

Further Extensions and Variations

With reference to Figure 9, in accordance with an embodiment, a communication system includes a telecommunication network 910 such as the wireless communications network 100, e.g. a WLAN, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, which comprises an access network 91 1 , such as a radio access network, and a core network 914. The access network 91 1 comprises a plurality of base stations 912a, 912b, 912c, such as e.g. the network node 1 10, access nodes, AP ST As NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 913a, 913b, 913c. Each base station 912a, 912b, 912c is connectable to the core network 914 over a wired or wireless connection 915. A first UE, such as e.g. the UE 120, such as a Non-AP STA 991 located in coverage area 913c is configured to wirelessly connect to, or be paged by, the corresponding base station 912c. A second UE 992 such as a Non-AP STA in coverage area 913a is wirelessly connectable to the corresponding base station 912a. While a plurality of UEs 991 , 992 are illustrated in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to a situation where a sole UE is in the coverage area or where a sole UE is connecting to the corresponding base station 912.

The telecommunication network 910 is itself connected to a host computer 930, which may be embodied in the hardware and/or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or as processing resources in a server farm. The host computer 930 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The connections 921 , 922 between the telecommunication network 910 and the host computer 930 may extend directly from the core network 914 to the host computer 930 or may go via an optional intermediate network 920. The intermediate network 920 may be one of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private or hosted network; the intermediate network 920, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 920 may comprise two or more sub networks (not shown).

The communication system of Figure 9 as a whole enables connectivity between one of the connected UEs 991 , 992 and the host computer 930. The connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 950. The host computer 930 and the connected UEs 991 , 992 are configured to communicate data and/or signaling via the OTT connection 950, using the access network 91 1 , the core network 914, any intermediate network 920 and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 950 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 950 passes are unaware of routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, a base station 912 may not or need not be informed about the past routing of an incoming downlink communication with data originating from a host computer 930 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to a connected UE 991 . Similarly, the base station 912 need not be aware of the future routing of an outgoing uplink communication originating from the UE 991 towards the host computer 930.

Example implementations, in accordance with an embodiment, of the UE, base station and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 10. In a communication system 1000, a host computer 1010 comprises hardware 1015 including a communication interface 1016 configured to set up and maintain a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of the communication system 1000. The host computer 1010 further comprises processing circuitry 1018, which may have storage and/or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuitry 1018 may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 1010 further comprises software 101 1 , which is stored in or accessible by the host computer 1010 and executable by the processing circuitry 1018. The software 101 1 includes a host application 1012. The host application 1012 may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as a UE 1030 connecting via an OTT connection 1050 terminating at the UE 1030 and the host computer 1010.

In providing the service to the remote user, the host application 1012 may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1050.

The communication system 1000 further includes a base station 1020 provided in a telecommunication system and comprising hardware 1025 enabling it to communicate with the host computer 1010 and with the UE 1030. The hardware 1025 may include a communication interface 1026 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of the communication system 1000, as well as a radio interface 1027 for setting up and maintaining at least a wireless connection 1070 with a UE 1030 located in a coverage area (not shown in Figure 10) served by the base station 1020. The communication interface 1026 may be configured to facilitate a connection 1060 to the host computer 1010. The connection 1060 may be direct or it may pass through a core network (not shown in Figure 10) of the telecommunication system and/or through one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunication system. In the embodiment shown, the hardware 1025 of the base station 1020 further includes processing circuitry 1028, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The base station 1020 further has software 1021 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

The communication system 1000 further includes the UE 1030 already referred to. Its hardware 1035 may include a radio interface 1037 configured to set up and maintain a wireless connection 1070 with a base station serving a coverage area in which the UE 1030 is currently located. The hardware 1035 of the UE 1030 further includes processing circuitry 1038, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The UE 1030 further comprises software 1031 , which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1030 and executable by the processing circuitry 1038. The software 1031 includes a client application 1032. The client application 1032 may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via the UE 1030, with the support of the host computer 1010. In the host computer 1010, an executing host application 1012 may

communicate with the executing client application 1032 via the OTT connection 1050 terminating at the UE 1030 and the host computer 1010. In providing the service to the user, the client application 1032 may receive request data from the host application 1012 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1050 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The client application 1032 may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides.

It is noted that the host computer 1010, base station 1020 and UE 1030 illustrated in Figure 10 may be identical to the host computer 930, one of the base stations 912a, 912b, 912c and one of the UEs 991 , 992 of Figure 9, respectively. This is to say, the inner workings of these entities may be as shown in Figure 10 and independently, the surrounding network topology may be that of Figure 9.

In Figure 10, the OTT connection 1050 has been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host computer 1010 and the use equipment 1030 via the base station 1020, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices. Network infrastructure may determine the routing, which it may be configured to hide from the UE 1030 or from the service provider operating the host computer 1010, or both. While the OTT connection 1050 is active, the network infrastructure may further take decisions by which it dynamically changes the routing (e.g., on the basis of load balancing consideration or reconfiguration of the network).

The wireless connection 1070 between the UE 1030 and the base station 1020 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1030 using the OTT connection 1050, in which the wireless connection 1070 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the capacity of the uplink control channel since the resources for HARQ feedback are sent on the SR resource which is dedicated to each UE and thereby frees up resources that may be configured for HARQ feedback allowing a higher number of UEs to be scheduled for HARQ feedback in the uplink control channel and or uplink data channel and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, better responsiveness and relaxed restriction on file size.

A measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1050 between the host computer 1010 and UE 1030, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1050 may be implemented in the software 101 1 of the host computer 1010 or in the software 1031 of the UE 1030, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with communication devices through which the OTT connection 1050 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software 101 1 , 1031 may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1050 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not affect the base station 1020, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 1020. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling facilitating the host computer’s 1010 measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like. The measurements may be implemented in that the software 101 1 , 1031 causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1050 while it monitors propagation times, errors etc.

Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station such as an AP STA, and a UE such as a Non-AP STA which may be those described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 1 1 will be included in this section. In a first action 1 1 10 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional subaction 1 1 1 1 of the first action 1 1 10, the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In a second action 1 120, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. In an optional third action 1 130, the base station transmits to the UE the user data which was carried in the transmission that the host computer initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In an optional fourth action 1 140, the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station such as an AP STA, and a UE such as a Non-AP STA which may be those described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 12 will be included in this section. In a first action 1210 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional subaction (not shown) the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In a second action 1220, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. The transmission may pass via the base station, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In an optional third action 1230, the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station such as an AP STA, and a UE such as a Non-AP STA which may be those described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 13 will be included in this section. In an optional first action 1310 of the method, the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in an optional second action 1320, the UE provides user data. In an optional subaction 1321 of the second action 1320, the UE provides the user data by executing a client application. In a further optional subaction 131 1 of the first action 1310, the UE executes a client application which provides the user data in reaction to the received input data provided by the host computer. In providing the user data, the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE initiates, in an optional third subaction 1330, transmission of the user data to the host computer. In a fourth action 1340 of the method, the host computer receives the user data transmitted from the UE, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station such as a AP STA, and a UE such as a Non-AP STA which may be those described with reference to Figures 9 and 12. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 14 will be included in this section.

In an optional first action 1410 of the method, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station receives user data from the UE. In an optional second action 1420, the base station initiates transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In a third action 1430, the host

computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

When using the word "comprise" or“comprising” it shall be interpreted as non limiting, i.e. meaning "consist at least of". When using the word“set” herein, it shall be interpreted as meaning“one or more”. It will be appreciated that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and apparatus taught herein. As such, the apparatus and techniques taught herein are not limited by the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Instead, the embodiments herein are limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

As used herein, the term“node”, or“network node”, may refer to one or more physical entities, such as devices, apparatuses, computers, servers or the like. This may mean that embodiments herein may be implemented in one physical entity. Alternatively, the embodiments herein may be implemented in a plurality of physical entities, such as an arrangement comprising said one or more physical entities, i.e. the embodiments may be implemented in a distributed manner, such as on a cloud system, which may comprise a set of server machines. In case of a cloud system, the term“node” may refer to a virtual machine, such as a container, virtual runtime environment, a software module or the like. The virtual machine may be assembled from hardware resources, such as memory, processing, network and storage resources, which may reside in different physical machines, e.g. in different computers.

Claims

1 . A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, (120), for handling of uplink, UL, control channel resources for the UE (120), wherein the method comprises:

- obtaining (301 ) an UL control channel resource for transmitting a Scheduling Request, SR,

- receiving (302), from a network node (1 10), a transmission, and

- when UE (120) has no data to transmit, transmitting (303) feedback of reception of the transmission and omitting transmitting SR on the obtained UL control channel resource for SR.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission received from the network node comprises Downlink Control Information, DCI.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmission comprises an indication of an UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node (1 10).

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the indication comprised in the

transmission received from the network node (1 10) indicates that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback when the UE (120) lacks data to transmit in the UL.

5. The method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the UL control channel is a Physical Uplink Control Channel, PUCCH.

6. The method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the obtaining (301 ) comprises obtaining a dedicated UL control channel resource for transmitting an UL SR, and a plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission.

7. The method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the UL control channel resource for transmitting the SR is obtained by receiving a connection setup message from the network node (1 10).

8. A method performed by a network node (1 10), for handling of uplink, UL, control channel resources for a User Equipment, UE, (120), wherein the method comprises:

- sending (402), to the UE (120), a transmission, and

- receiving (403), from the UE (120), a transmission comprising a resource for transmitting SR, wherein the resource for transmitting SR lacks a SR and comprises a feedback of reception of the transmission related to the transmission sent to the UE (120).

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

- providing (401 ), to the UE (120), an UL control channel resource for

transmitting the SR.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the UL control channel resource is provided by sending a connection setup message to the UE (120).

1 1. The method according to any of the claims 8 to 10, wherein the transmission sent to the UE comprises Downlink Control Information, DCI.

12. The method according to any of the claims 8 to 1 1 , wherein the transmission sent to the UE (120) comprises an indication of an UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node (1 10).

13. The method according to any of the previous claims 8 to 12, wherein the indication comprised in the transmission sent to the UE (120) indicates that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback when the UE (120) lacks data to transmit in the UL.

14. The method according to any of the previous claims 8 to 13, wherein the UL

control channel is a Physical Uplink Control Channel, PUCCH.

15. A User Equipment, UE, (120) for handling of uplink, UL, control channel resources for the UE (120), wherein the UE (120) is configured to:

- obtain an UL control channel resource for transmitting a Scheduling

Request, SR, - receive, from a network node (1 10), a transmission, and

- when UE (120) has no data to transmit, transmit feedback of reception of the transmission and omit transmitting SR on the obtained UL control channel resource for SR.

16. The UE (120) according to claim 15, wherein the transmission received from the network node comprises Downlink Control Information, DCI.

17. The UE (120) according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the transmission comprises an indication of an UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node (1 10).

18. The UE (120) according to claim 17, wherein the indication comprised in the transmission received from the network node (1 10) indicates that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback when the UE lacks data to transmit in the UL.

19. The UE (120) according to any of the previous claims 15 to 18, wherein the UL control channel is a Physical Uplink Control Channel, PUCCH.

20. The UE (120) according to any of the previous claims 15 to 19, wherein the UE (120) is configured to obtain a dedicated UL control channel resource for transmitting an UL SR, and a plurality of dedicated uplink control channel resources for sending feedback of reception of transmission.

21. The UE (120) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the UE (120) is configured to obtain the UL control channel resource for transmitting the SR by being configured to receive connection setup message from the network node (1 10).

22. A network node (1 10), for handling of uplink, UL, control channel resources for a User Equipment, UE, (120), wherein the network node is configured to:

- send, to the UE (120), a transmission, and

- receive, from the UE (120), a transmission comprising a resource for transmitting SR, wherein the resource for transmitting SR lacks a SR and comprises a feedback of reception of the transmission related to the transmission sent to the UE (120).

23. The network node (1 10) according to claim 22, wherein the network node (1 10) is further configured to provide, to the UE (120), an UL control channel resource for transmitting the SR.

24. The network node (1 10) according to claim 23, wherein network node is

configured to provide the UL control channel resource by being configured to send a connection setup message to the UE (120).

25. The network node (1 10) according to any of the claims 22 to 24, wherein the

transmission sent to the UE comprises Downlink Control Information, DCI.

26. The network node (1 10) according to any of the claims 22 to 25, wherein the transmission sent to the UE (120) comprises an indication of an UL resource for sending feedback related to the transmission to the network node (1 10).

27. The network node (1 10) according to any of the previous claims 22 to 26, wherein the indication comprised in the transmission sent to the UE (120) indicates that the UL control channel resource for transmitting SR is an available resource for sending HARQ feedback when the UE (120) lacks data to transmit in the UL.

28. The network node (1 10) according to any of the previous claims 22 to 27, wherein the UL control channel is a Physical Uplink Control Channel, PUCCH.

29. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1 to 14.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1 to 14.