Patent ID: 8823947

Claim:
An optical sensor, comprising: an optical waveguide into which light can be fed, at least one light-sensitive element for detecting light coupled out of the waveguide; and a plurality of ring resonators, the ring resonators being coupled optically to the mentioned waveguide and, with the exception of at most one of the ring resonators, each having a device for adjusting resonance frequencies of the respective ring resonator and/or of a coupling between the ring resonator and the waveguide, wherein said devices are equipped with a means for varying an effective refractive index of the respective ring resonator and wherein at least two of the ring resonators have different optical lengths in an initial state and are disposed for having their resonance frequencies influenced by different variables to be measured which are specific for each of these ring resonators, the sensor further comprising a control unit for the devices for adjusting the resonance frequencies of the ring resonators, the control unit being configured for modulating the effective refractive indices of the ring resonators with different time dependencies which are specific for each of these ring resonators.