Apparatus for determining the position of a selected object relative to a
moving reference frame, the apparatus including at least one reference
frame transceiver assembly firmly attached to the moving reference frame,
at least one object transceiver assembly firmly attached to the selected
object, an inertial measurement unit firmly attached to the selected
object, an inertial navigation system firmly attached to the moving
reference frame, and a tracking processor coupled with the object
transceiver assembly, with the inertial measurement unit and with the
inertial navigation system, the object transceiver assembly communicating
with the reference frame transceiver assembly using magnetic fields, the
inertial measurement unit producing IMU inertial measurements of motion
of the selected object with respect to an inertially fixed reference
frame, the inertial navigation system producing INS inertial measurements
of motion of the moving reference frame with respect to the inertially
fixed reference frame, the tracking processor receiving electromagnetic
measurements resulting from the magnetic communication between the
reference frame transceiver assembly and the object transceiver assembly,
the tracking processor determining the position of the selected object
relative to the moving reference frame by using the IMU inertial
measurements and the INS inertial measurements to optimize the
electromagnetic measurements.