Gauge glider

A vehicle fuel level measurement and display system, comprising:

• means for sensing a fuel level and for providing a fuel level sense signal;
• means for processing the fuel level signal and for providing an N bit digital input signal responsive thereto;
• means for comparing the N bit input signal with an output signal, the output signal having N+M bits of which there are at least N most significant bits, wherein the comparison compares the N bit input signal with the N most significant bits of the output signal and provides a control output in response to the comparison;
• means for counting, which increments or decrements an N+M bit count output in response to the control output of the comparing means, and for providing the N+M bit count output on an output bus as the N+M bit output signal, wherein the N+M bit output signal has an apparent resolution improvement of 2.sup.M over the N bit input signal;
• and
• means for driving a display responsive to the N+M bit output signal, said display having resolution greater than N bits.

An apparatus comprising:

• a digital processing circuit providing an N bit signal that has a maximum nominal change rate;
• means for comparing the N bit signal to an output signal, the output signal having N+M bits of which there are at least N most significant bits, wherein the comparison compares the N bit signal with the N most significant bits of the output signal and provides a control output in response to the comparison;
• means for counting, which increments or decrements an N+M bit count output in response to the control output of the comparing means and a first clock signal, and for providing the N+M bit count output on an output bus, said bus having resolution greater than N bits, as the N+M bit output signal, wherein the N+M bit output signal has an apparent resolution improvement of 2.sup.M over the N bit signal;
• and
• means for providing the clock signal to the counting means, wherein the clock signal has a frequency substantially equal to 2.sup.M times the maximum nominal change rate of the N bit signal.