ATRS: Adaptive Trajectory Re-splitting via a Shared Neural Policy for Parallel Optimization

TL;DR

ATRS introduces a shared neural policy within a parallel optimization framework to adaptively re-split trajectory segments, enhancing convergence speed and real-time applicability in motion planning.

Contribution

It proposes a novel multi-agent reinforcement learning approach with size-invariant, generalizable neural policies for adaptive trajectory re-splitting during optimization.

Findings

Reduces iteration count by up to 26%.

Decreases computation time by up to 19.1%.

Enables real-time replanning within 35 ms per cycle.

Abstract

Parallel trajectory optimization via the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) has emerged as a scalable approach to long-horizon motion planning. However, existing frameworks typically decompose the problem into parallel subproblems based on a predefined fixed structure. Such structural rigidity often causes optimization stagnation in highly constrained regions, where a few lagging subproblems delay global convergence. A natural remedy is to adaptively re-split these stagnating segments online. Yet, deciding when, where, and how to split exceeds the capability of rule-based heuristics. To this end, we propose ATRS, a novel framework that embeds a shared Deep Reinforcement Learning policy into the parallel ADMM loop. We formulate this adaptive adjustment as a Multi-Agent Shared-Policy Markov Decision Process, where all trajectory segments act as homogeneous agents and share a unified neural policy network. This parameter-sharing architecture endows the system with size invariance, enabling it to handle dynamically changing segment counts during re-splitting and generalize to arbitrary trajectory lengths. Furthermore, our formulation inherently supports zero-shot generalization to unseen environments, as our network relies solely on the internal states of the numerical solver rather than on the geometric features of the environment. To ensure solver stability, a Confidence-Based Election mechanism selects only the most stagnating segment for re-splitting at each step. Extensive simulations demonstrate that ATRS accelerates convergence, reducing the number of iterations by up to 26.0% and the computation time by up to 19.1%. Real-world experiments further confirm its applicability to both large-scale offline global planning and real-time onboard replanning within 35 ms per cycle, with no sim-to-real degradation.