Distributed Multi-Vehicle Cooperative Trajectory Planning and Control for Ramp Merging and Diverging Based on Deep Neural Networks and MPC

With the deep integration of the modern automotive industry and artificial intelligence technologies, connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) have emerged as a key breakthrough for improving traffic safety and operational efficiency. This study proposes a distributed multi-vehicle cooperative trajectory planning and control framework for ramp merging and diverging scenarios, integrating Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) with Model Predictive Control (MPC). The methodology consists of three key components: First, a distributed cooperative architecture based on dynamic topology is constructed to effectively reduce communication loads; second, a feature point-based Cubic Bézier Curve trajectory generation method is proposed, enabling flexible path planning with reduced reliance on high-precision maps; finally, a DNN-accelerated MPC solving strategy (NN-MPC) is designed. This strategy employs an offline-trained deep neural network to approximate the online optimization process, supplemented by a terminal Safety Check mechanism and a dynamic surrounding vehicle selection algorithm. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method successfully reproduces the planning capability of offline high-precision MPC in ramp merging and diverging scenarios while reducing computation time to the millisecond level. It effectively overcomes the myopic decision-making problem of traditional real-time algorithms, achieving smoother conflict resolution and higher traffic efficiency. Notably, quantitative validation confirms that this cooperative framework achieves an approximate 30% reduction in average travel delay compared to the non-cooperative baseline. This study confirms the engineering advantages of the hybrid architecture under dynamic high-density traffic flows, significantly enhancing the system’s real-time response capability while balancing the safety and riding comfort of cooperative driving.