Spatial frequency optical measurement instrument and method

1. A spatial frequency optical measurement instrument, comprising:

a spatial frequency mask positioned in a light path and configured to encode light with spatial frequency information;

a light receiver positioned to receive the light encoded with the spatial frequency information, wherein the light encoded with the spatial frequency information has been interacted with a sample material; and

a processing system coupled to the light receiver and configured to determine a change in the spatial frequency information due to the interaction of the light with the sample material;

wherein a first portion of the encoded light is reflected onto the light receiver without interacting with the sample material, wherein a second portion of the encoded light is interacted with the sample material, and wherein the second portion of the encoded light is compared to the first portion of the encoded light.

2. The instrument of claim 1 , with interacting the light with the sample material comprising substantially passing the light through the sample material or substantially reflecting the encoded light off of the sample material.

3. The instrument of claim 1 , further comprising one or more optical components configured to define a spatial frequency image of the spatial frequency mask at the light receiver, with the spatial frequency image substantially including the spatial frequency information.

4. The instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a light source configured to emit the light along the light path, with the light source comprising a powered light source or an ambient light source.

5. The instrument of claim 1 , with the spatial frequency mask being located before the sample material and encoding light that has not interacted with the sample material.

6. The instrument of claim 1 , with the spatial frequency mask being located after the sample material and encoding light that has interacted with the sample material.

7. The instrument of claim 1 , with the spatial frequency mask comprising a series of spatially varying light blocking and light transmitting regions that encode the spatial frequency information.

8. The instrument of claim 1 , with the spatial frequency mask comprising a series of spatially varying light reflecting and non-reflecting regions that encode the spatial frequency information.

9. The instrument of claim l, with the spatial frequency mask comprising a series of spatially varying apertures that encode the spatial frequency information.

10. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein a light path length through the sample material can be varied in order to vary the change in spatial frequency information.

11. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the light path includes one or more excursions through or reflections from the sample material.

12. The instrument of claim 1 , with the change in the spatial frequency information including a change to a content or organization of the spatial frequency information.

13. The instrument of claim 1 , with the change in the spatial frequency information including a change to one or more of a line, an edge, a bar pattern, a sinusoidal pattern, or a point function of the spatial frequency information.

14. The instrument of claim 1 , with determining the change in the spatial frequency information comprising determining a change in contrast in the spatial frequency information from a predetermined contrast standard.

15. The instrument of claim 1 , with the processing system further determining a particulate concentration in a media of the sample material based on the change in the spatial frequency information.

16. The instrument of claim 1 , with the processing system further determining one or more surface characteristics of the sample material.

17. The instrument of claim 1 , with the second portion of the encoded light comprising a first light portion interacting with the spatial frequency mask and the sample material to form a spatial frequency image and with the first portion of the encoded light further comprising a second light portion interacting with a predetermined standard material to form a predetermined standard image, wherein the change in the spatial frequency information comprising comprises a difference between the spatial frequency image and the predetermined standard image.

18. A spatial frequency optical measurement method, comprising:

encoding light with spatial frequency information;

interacting the light with a sample material; and

operating a processing system to determine a change in the spatial frequency information due to the interaction of the light with the sample material;

wherein a first portion of the encoded light is reflected onto a first light receiver without interacting with the sample material, wherein a second portion of the encoded light is interacted with the sample material, and wherein the second portion of the encoded light is compared to the first portion of the encoded light.

19. A spatial frequency optical measurement method, comprising:

operating a light source to interact light with a sample material;

encoding the light with spatial frequency information using a spatial frequency mask;

operating a processing system to determine a change in the spatial frequency information due to the interaction of the light with the sample material;

wherein a first portion of the encoded light is reflected onto a first light receiver without interacting with the sample material, wherein a second portion of the encoded light is interacted with the sample material, and wherein the second portion of the encoded light is compared to the first portion of the encoded light; and

operating the processing system to use the determined change to perform one or more of:

determining a particulate concentration in a media of the sample material based on the change in the spatial frequency information; and

determining one or more surface characteristics of the sample material.