Position detection and vibration monitoring system using quad-cell optical beam power distribution (Q647974)

From the abstract: We study the accuracy of an optical vibration sensing system using Gaussian beam analysis. The proposed optical system uses a He-Ne laser source whose Gaussian beam impinges on a quad-cell photo detector array. Mathematical formulation and numerical simulation for the power distribution of the quad-ell array are presented. The system detection principle lies upon finding a relationship between the power distribution of the quad-cell and the position of the beam centroid, which allows to identify the characteristics of the vibration applied, such as direction frequency and strength. An experimental setup is implemented to validate the theoretical model.