Method, apparatus and computer program for displaying an evolution of a filling quantity

An apparatus for displaying an evolution of a filling quantity of a material in a container from a starting filling quantity to a target filling quantity during a filling operation, the apparatus comprising:

• a measurement means for measuring a measured current filling quantity in the container;
• a display means for displaying a first pointer, a position of the first pointer on the display means being indicative of the measured current filling quantity;
• and
• a data processing means, the data processing means being adapted to:
• receive the measured current filling quantity from the measurement means;
• calculate the position of the first pointer on the display means as a monotonic function of the measured current filling quantity, such that the position of the first pointer on the display means is a monotonic function of the measured current filling quantity, and
• output the position of the first pointer to the display means;
• wherein the position of the first pointer is defined as a first function of the measured current filling quantity when the measured current filling quantity is in a first range from the starting filling quantity to a lower limit quantity, and the position of the first pointer is defined as a second function of the measured current filling quantity, different from the first function, when the measured current filling quantity is in a second range from the lower limit quantity to the target filling quantity
• wherein the first pointer has an artificial pointer speed and an artificial pointer acceleration;
• wherein the artificial pointer speed corresponds to a first derivative of the function defining the position of the first pointer with respect to the measured filling quantity, and the artificial pointer acceleration corresponds to a second derivative of the function defining the position of the first pointer with respect to the measured filling quantity,
• wherein the first function is such that the artificial pointer speed is a strictly increasing function for at least an extended subrange of the measured current filling quantity between the starting filling quantity and the target filling quantity, wherein an endpoint of the subrange is defined by the lower limit quantity.