A position sensitive detector (PSD) is frequently used for the measurement of a one-dimensional position along a line or a two-dimensional position on a plane, but is more often used for measuring static or quasi-static positions. Along with its quick response when measuring short time-spans in the micro-second realm, a PSD is also capable of detecting the dynamic positions of moving objects. In this paper, theoretical modeling and experiments are conducted to explore the frequency characteristics of a vibrating string while moving transversely across a one-dimensional PSD. The theoretical predictions are supported by the experiments. When the string vibrates at its natural frequency while moving transversely, the PSD will detect two frequencies near this natural frequency; one frequency is higher than the natural frequency and the other is lower. Deviations in these two frequencies, which differ from the string's natural frequency, increase while the speed of motion increases.
Keywords: dynamic natural frequency measurement; position sensitive detector (PSD); vibration analyze.