MARP: A Cooperative Multiagent DRL System for Connected Autonomous Vehicle Platooning

In modern urban areas, inefficiency traffic management is one of the main causes of road congestion, leading to reduced fuel efficiency and increased traffic safety hazards. Traditional researches typically focus only on enhancing the throughput of intersections by optimizing traffic signals or individual vehicle trajectories. However, these methods often overlook the dynamic nature of the traffic system and the potential benefits of vehicle platooning, limiting their effectiveness in complex traffic environments. Addressing this challenge, this article presents MARP, a Cooperative Multiagent deep reinforcement learning (DRL) System for connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) Platooning. Utilizing vehicle to vehicle (V2I) and vehicles to infrastructure (V2V) technologies, MARP integrates sensing, computing, and communication to collect and process real-time data on traffic conditions, thereby achieving dynamic synchronization between traffic signal controllers and CAV platoons. By constructing platoons that collaborates with the infrastructure through a multiagent DRL collaboration model, MARP adapts to real-time traffic flow changes, significantly optimizing the fluidity and efficiency of the entire traffic network. Detailed experiments show that MARP effectively reduces traffic congestion, shortens intersection travel times, and cuts fuel consumption and emissions, surpassing the state-of-the-art approach.

I. Introduction

The integration of advanced sensing, communication, and computing technologies has significantly contributed to the development of intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) and autonomous driving technologies [1]. This not only represents a transformation in our modes of travel but also opens unprecedented opportunities to achieve more sustainable transportation objectives. These objectives primarily include minimizing environmental impacts, improving fuel efficiency, and reducing trip duration [2], [3]. Therefore, effectively utilizing advanced transportation technologies to enhance the overall efficiency of the traffic system is particularly imperative [4].