Methods and Apparatus for Improved Resource Unit Allocation Signaling in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)

An access point (AP) comprising:

• a wireless transmitter;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• determine, at the AP, a bandwidth to be used for a first physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU), said determined bandwidth being the bandwidth of the first PPDU;
• determine, at the AP, a number of stations (STAs) allowed to use resources of the first PPDU;
• determine a resource unit (RU) allocation type for the first PPDU based on at least one of:
• i) the bandwidth of the first PPDU and ii) the number of stations allowed to use resources of the first PPDU;
• and
• operate the AP to transmit, via the wireless transmitter, the first PPDU, said first PPDU including an allocation type subfield with a bit indicating the determined RU allocation type of the first PPDU.

A method of operating a first station (STA), the method comprising:

• receiving a DL MU-PPDU;
• recovering a RU allocation type value communicated in an RU allocation type subfield of a PHY header of the received DL MU-PPDU;
• determining an RU allocation type being used in the DL MU-PPDU based on the recovered RU allocation type value;
• and
• identifying, based on the determined RU allocation type, set of RUs of the DL MU-PPDU which have been allocated to the first STA.

A first station (STA), comprising:

• a wireless receiver;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• operate the STA to receive a DL MU-PPDU;
• operate the STA to recover a RU allocation type value communicated in an RU allocation type subfield of a PHY header of the received DL MU-PPDU;
• determine an RU allocation type being used in the DL MU-PPDU based on the recovered RU allocation type value;
• and
• identify, based on the determined RU allocation type, a set of RUs of the DL MU-PPDU which have been allocated to the first STA.