Patent ID: 7412886

Claim:
A transducer for measuring an angular velocity comprising: a single piezoelectric tuning fork that rotates at said angular velocity, said tuning fork including first and second vibrating legs extending from a base, means for exciting a first vibration of the tuning fork, arranged on one of the two legs, called the excitation leg, and means for detecting a second vibration of the tuning fork generated in response to said first vibration and to a rotation of the tuning fork, arranged on the other of the two legs, called the detection leg, wherein said detection leg has a cross-shaped section including two top lateral faces and two bottom lateral faces, said top and bottom faces being separated by protruding parts projecting with respect to said top and bottom faces, and wherein said detection means include first and second detection electrodes arranged facing each other, each being arranged on one of the top lateral faces such that the electrical field between the first and second detection electrodes is substantially rectilinear through the detection leg, and third and fourth detection electrodes arranged facing each other, each being arranged on one of the bottom lateral faces such that the electrical field between the third and fourth detection electrodes is substantially rectilinear through the detection leg.