Method, apparatus, and computer readable media for acknowledgement in wireless networks

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of an apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) station (STA), the instructions to configure the one or more processors to:

• decode a preamble portion of a HE physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU), the preamble portion of the HE PPDU comprising a signal subfield,
• the signal subfield comprising a first resource allocation subfield, the first resource allocation subfield indicating a first resource unit (RU) for the HE STA to decode a corresponding data portion of the HE PPDU;
• decode the corresponding data portion of the HE PPDU, the corresponding data portion comprising a downlink (DL) data frame for the HE STA and wherein the corresponding data portion further comprises a multi-user (MU) block acknowledgement request (BAR) frame, the MU-BAR frame comprising a second resource allocation subfield, the second resource allocation subfield indicating a second RU for the HE STA to transmit a block acknowledgement (BA) to acknowledge receipt of the DL data frame;
• encode the BA frame indicating receipt of the DL data by the HE STA;
• and
• generate signaling to cause the HE STA to transmit the BA on the second RU.

A method performed by an apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) station (STA), the method comprising:

• decoding a preamble portion of a HE physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU), the preamble portion of the HE PPDU comprising a signal subfield,
• the signal subfield comprising a first resource allocation subfield, the first resource allocation subfield indicating a first resource unit (RU) for the HE STA to decode a corresponding data portion of the HE PPDU;
• decoding the corresponding data portion of the HE PPDU, the corresponding data portion comprising a downlink (DL) data frame for the HE STA and wherein the corresponding data portion further comprises a multi-user (MU) block acknowledgement request (BAR) frame, the MU-BAR frame comprising a second resource allocation subfield, the second resource allocation subfield indicating a second RU for the HE STA to transmit a block acknowledgement (BA) to acknowledge receipt of the DL data frame;
• encoding the BA frame indicating receipt of data by the HE STA;
• and
• generating signaling to cause the HE STA to transmit the BA on the second RU.

An apparatus of a high-efficiency (HE) access point (AP), the apparatus comprising:

• memory;
• and, processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to:
• encode a preamble portion of a physical layer convergence procedure (PLOP) protocol data unit (PPDU), the preamble portion of the PPDU comprising a signal subfield, the signal subfield comprising a plurality of first subchannel allocations for a plurality of HE stations for receipt of downlink (DU data within a data portion of the PPDU;
• encode the data portion of the PPDU in accordance with the plurality of first channel first subchannel allocations;
• encode a multi-user (MU) block acknowledgement request (BAR) portion of the PPDU, the MU-BAR portion comprising a plurality of second subchannel allocations for the plurality of HE stations to transmit block acknowledgements (BAs) for acknowledging receipt of the DL data;
• generate signaling to cause the HE AP to transmit the PPDU;
• and
• decode BAs from the plurality of HE STAs in accordance with the plurality of first subchannel allocations, wherein the BAs indicate receipt of the DL data, and wherein the BAs from the plurality of HE STAB are received simultaneously.