Location and mapping device and method

A location and mapping device to be fitted to a machine which is mobile in an environment comprising a plurality of areas, the device comprising:

• a receiving module designed to receive positioning data on the positioning of obstacles relative to the machine;
• a processing module configured to determine, as a function of the received data, and for a plurality of areas positioned relative to the machine, measurement values which are representative, respectively, of a probability of occupation of the area concerned, of a probability of non-occupation of the area concerned, and of a probability of non-knowledge of the area concerned;
• a mapping module configured to construct, for each area of said plurality of areas of the environment, values which are representative, respectively, of a probability of occupation of the area concerned, of a probability of non-occupation of the area concerned, and of a probability of non-knowledge of the area concerned;
• and
• a location module configured to determine the positioning of the machine in the environment that maximizes a measurement of a match between the measurement values and the constructed values,
• wherein the location module is configured to:
• determine the match measurement for a given positioning of the mobile machine, using a sum of terms each of which is associated with a given area of the environment,
• calculate each term by using the product of the measurement value representative of the probability of occupation of the area corresponding to the given area for the given positioning of the machine and the constructed value representative of the probability of occupation of the given area, and
• calculate each term by dividing the aforesaid product by a conflict factor using a sum of the measurement value representative of the probability of occupation of the area corresponding to the given area for the given positioning of the machine, multiplied by the constructed value representative of the probability of non-occupation of the given area, and of the measurement value representative of the probability of non-occupation of the area corresponding to the given area for the given positioning of the machine, multiplied by the constructed value representative of the probability of occupation of the given area.