Computer Science editorial
Open AccessOA2026
When Cooperation Should End: Maneuver Coordination Cancellation for Connected Automated Driving
A complete design of cancellation mechanisms for maneuver coordination in connected automated driving, with state machine, message set, and decision logic.
Rafael Molina-Masegosa; Sergei S. Avedisov; Miguel Sepulcre; Javier Gozalvez; Onur Altintas· 2026· DOI 10.48550/arXiv.2606.22052
The core problem
Maneuver coordination is essential for cooperative connected automated driving, enabling vehicles to negotiate maneuvers and interactions through V2X communication. Prior work has largely focused on how to initiate and execute coordinations, while considerably less attention has been given to how ongoing coordinations should be terminated when they become unsuitable. This paper addresses that gap by introducing the first complete design and implementation of maneuver coordination cancellation, including a state machine, message set, and decision-making logic. The authors argue that without cancellation, vehicles may remain trapped in coordinations that cannot succeed, wasting time and communication resources, and delaying availability for new maneuvers. The study evaluates the proposed cancellation mechanism and demonstrates its benefits for cooperative driving, establishing a foundation for further refinements to enhance efficiency and robustness of connected automated driving.
Innovation
The evaluation shows that cancellation significantly reduces the time vehicles spend in coordinations that cannot succeed. This allows vehicles to become available for new maneuvers sooner. As a result, the number of triggered coordinations increases, and the number of successful maneuver coordinations improves. The abstract does not provide specific numerical results, but the qualitative findings indicate that cancellation is beneficial for cooperative driving. The reduction in wasted time directly translates to more efficient use of communication and computation resources, and potentially to smoother traffic flow. The increase in triggered coordinations suggests that vehicles are more willing to attempt coordination when they know they can cancel if needed, which could lead to more dynamic and responsive cooperative driving.
Maneuver coordination is essential for cooperative connected automated driving, enabling vehicles to negotiate maneuvers and interactions through V2X communication. Prior work has largely focused on how to initiate and execute coordinations, while considerably less attention has been given to how ongoing coordinations should be terminated when they become unsuitable. This paper addresses that gap by introducing the first complete design and implementation of maneuver coordination cancellation, including a state machine, message set, and decision-making logic. The authors argue that without cancellation, vehicles may remain trapped in coordinations that cannot succeed, wasting time and communication resources, and delaying availability for new maneuvers. The study evaluates the proposed cancellation mechanism and demonstrates its benefits for cooperative driving, establishing a foundation for further refinements to enhance efficiency and robustness of connected automated driving.
The paper presents a complete design and implementation of maneuver coordination cancellation. The core components are:
Why it matters
The study demonstrates that maneuver coordination cancellation improves cooperative driving and establishes a foundation for further refinements that can enhance the efficiency and robustness of connected automated driving. The authors highlight that cancellation is a missing piece in current maneuver coordination protocols, and that its inclusion can prevent vehicles from being stuck in unproductive negotiations. The proposed state machine, message set, and decision logic provide a blueprint for integrating cancellation into existing systems. Future work may refine the decision criteria, optimize message overhead, and test the approach in more complex scenarios. The paper also implies that cancellation can improve the overall success rate of maneuver coordination by freeing up vehicles to pursue more promising opportunities. This work is relevant to the taxonomy candidates of Architecture, Cybersecurity, Network, and Cryptography, as it deals with protocol design, message security, and network communication aspects of V2X.
Who should read this
CS practitioners and researchers
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