Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Planner Parameter Tuning: A Perspective on Hierarchical Architecture

Automatic parameter tuning methods for planning algorithms, which integrate pipeline approaches with learning-based techniques, are regarded as promising due to their stability and capability to handle highly constrained environments. While existing parameter tuning methods have demonstrated considerable success, further performance improvements require a more structured approach. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical architecture for reinforcement learning-based parameter tuning. The architecture introduces a hierarchical structure with low-frequency parameter tuning, mid-frequency planning, and high-frequency control, enabling concurrent enhancement of both upper-layer parameter tuning and lower-layer control through iterative training. Experimental evaluations in both simulated and real-world environments show that our method surpasses existing parameter tuning approaches. Furthermore, our approach achieves first place in the Benchmark for Autonomous Robot Navigation (BARN) Challenge.

@article{wangtao2025_2503.18366,
  title={ Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Planner Parameter Tuning: A Perspective on Hierarchical Architecture },
  author={ Lu Wangtao and Wei Yufei and Xu Jiadong and Jia Wenhao and Li Liang and Xiong Rong and Wang Yue },
  journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2503.18366},
  year={ 2025 }
}