Research on Intelligent Traffic Signal Control Based on Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning

Although Adaptive Traffic Signal Control (ATSC) can alleviate congestion issues to some extent in traditional signal control systems, it still faces challenges in dealing with complex and dynamic traffic environments, such as difficulties in agent coordination, high computational complexity, and unstable optimization results. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a multi-agent deep reinforcement learning algorithm based on SENet, called SE-A3C. The SE-A3C algorithm enhances the feature extraction capability and adaptability of the neural network by introducing the Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) module from SENet. This allows the model to focus more precisely on high-information features and capture interdependencies between different channels, thereby improving the model’s discriminative ability and decision-making performance. Additionally, the algorithm incorporates Nash equilibrium concepts to maintain a relative balance among agents during coordinated control, avoiding suboptimal competition between agents and significantly improving system stability and efficiency. Experimental results show that, compared to traditional A3C, DQN, and Ape-X algorithms, the SE-A3C algorithm significantly improves the efficiency of traffic signal control and the overall throughput of traffic flow in complex traffic scenarios.