CAN-BASED SYSTEM TO CALCULATE THE WEIGHT OF MILLED MATERIALS

Abstract

A milling machine adapted to remove milled material from a road. The milling machine may include a CAN based grade system operatively connected to a sensor and a milling drum, and a CAN Bus adapter operatively connected to the CAN based grade system. The milling machine may include a programmable logic controller operatively connected to the CAN Bus adapter. The milling drum selectively removes the milled material from the road, and the sensor provides a signal to the CAN based grade system, and the milling drum is positioned based on data from the CAN based grade system.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61256428, filed Oct. 30, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Accurately weighing materials in road construction operations is important. Loading milled materials into a dump truck in excess of truck capacity or allowable limits can be undesirable. Excessively heavy dump trucks can be hazardous on roadways and violate laws that set maximum weights for the dump trucks and their loads.

Current attempts to properly weigh milled materials have been largely unsuccessful. There remains a long-felt need for a suitable means to weigh milled materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the right side of a milling machine in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of selected components used in a method to calculate the weight of milled materials of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a simplified view of milling machine of FIG. 1 making a second pass on the road being milled.

FIG. 4 is a main (first) screen of the HMI of FIG. 1 showing the width of cut by the milling machine and the depth of cut.

FIG. 5 is a second screen of the HMI of FIG. 1 showing various calculated values from use of the milling machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a third screen of the HMI of FIG. 1 allowing for calibration of the milling machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a material-selection screen of the HMI of FIG. 1 which may be employed to enter or estimate density of the milled material.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the CAN Bus and other components used in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

There is provided a milling machine adapted to remove milled material from a road. The milling machine may include a CAN based grade system operatively connected to a sensor and a milling drum, and a CAN Bus adapter operatively connected to the CAN based grade system. The milling machine may include a programmable logic controller operatively connected to the CAN Bus adapter. The milling drum selectively removes the milled material from the road, and the sensor provides a signal to the CAN based grade system, and the milling drum is positioned based on data from the CAN based grade system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Preliminarily, it should be noted that certain terms which may be used herein, such as for example above, below, upper, lower, left and right, are used to facilitate the description of the invention. Unless otherwise specified or made apparent by the context of the discussion, such terms and other directional terms should be interpreted with reference to the figure(s) under discussion. Such terms are not intended as limitations on the position in which the invention or components may be used. Indeed, it is contemplated that the components of the invention may be easily positioned in any desired orientation for use. Likewise, numerical terms such as for example “first”, and “second” are not intended as a limitation or to imply a sequence, unless otherwise specified or made apparent by the context of the discussion. The term “operatively connected” is understood to include a linking together of the portions under consideration and may include a physical engagement and/or a functional or operational connection.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 8 a milling machine indicated generally at 20, according to the invention. The milling machine 20 is provided to remove material 24 from a road 28, such as for example a paved city street. The term “milled material” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, any raw or processed material used which makes up a road. Non-limiting examples of “milled material” includes chip seal, rock, asphalt, bituminous road pavement, binder, mineral constituent, concrete, sand, stone, aggregate, and the like.

Referring now primarily to FIG. 3, the milling machine 20 may be positioned to make more than one pass on the road 28 to be milled. In FIG. 3, the milling machine 20 has made a first pass 100 on the road 28 and is now positioned to make a second pass 104 on the road 28. It will be noted that the second pass 104 slightly overlaps the first pass 100 on the road 28. The overlap is represented approximately by the distance D1. The milling machine 20 can be adapted to continue to remove milling material 24 in a matter that does not create significant gouges in the first pass 100 of the road 28 and the second pass 104 of the road 28.

The milling machine 20 can be configured in a wide variety of ways. The illustrated milling machine 20 includes four crawlers 32a, 32b. The term “crawler” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, any device that is a generally continuous belt of plates. If we imagine that we are looking at the milling machine 20 from the right in FIG. 1, we see the right front crawler 32a and the right rear crawler 32b. The left front crawler and left rear crawler are not shown in FIG. 1. Each crawler 32 includes a rotating track 36 which operates to move the milling machine 20 generally forwards and backwards on the road 28. Each track 36 includes a plurality of pads 40. The illustrated pads 40 are each about six inches long bounded by a gap 44 between each pair of pads 40. It will be noted that a sensor 48 may be positioned to detect the relative positions of the pads 40 and the gaps 44 and thereby detect movement of the milling machine 20 in approximately six inch increments. The sensor 48 may generate data. One example of a suitable sensor 48 is made by Balluff—part number BOS 18M-PA-1HA-S4-C.

The sensor 48 is shown operatively connected to the first programmable logic controller (PLC) 52—or a personal computer (PC) may be used as desired. The term “sensor” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, any device that responds to a physical stimulus, (such as for example, heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and generates or transmits one or more impulse (such as for example, for measurement or operating a control) or data. The term “data” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, any numerical or other information or values represented in a form suitable for processing by a computer, programmable logic controller, or the like.

The sensor 48 shown is a laser photo sensor, but may be any suitable sensor, which detects the gaps 44 in the right front track 36 and responds to a physical stimulus and transmits an impulse or data to the first PLC 52. Other sensors which detect movement of the milling machine 20 may be employed as desired. The sensor 48 may also be employed to determine total distance traveled, length traveled, number of feet traveled per minute for the milling machine 20 and the like. The sensor 48 may be employed as a length sensor.

The term “PLC” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, any device, such as for example a digital computer, used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery. To perform the functionality attributed to the PLC herein, the PLC may employ a program to control or direct operation of components disclosed. This program may use information from the CAN bus 62, typically ASCII values, and convert or transform them from ASCII into hexadecimal values. Then, the high and low bytes may be swapped, and the hexadecimal values may be converted and scaled into the depth of cut from the left side and depth of cut from the right side of the milling machine 20. The PLC 52 may calculate the weight of the milled material 24 by multiplying the depth of cut, times the width of cut, times the distance traveled by the milling machine 20, times the weight per cubic yard for the milled material 24. Each of the other components shown herein is operatively connected to the PLC 52.

The PLC 52 is shown operatively connected to a touch screen HMI 56 and a display scoreboard 60. The term “HMI” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, any Human Machine Interface in a manufacturing or process control system. The HMI 56 shown may provide a graphics-based visualization of an industrial control or monitoring system which allows a user to input and/or monitor output via the milling machine 20 or any of the milling machine's component parts. The HMI 56 may be employed to enter such data as the desired depth of cut in the road 28, the desired width cut of the road 28, calibration of the density of the milled material 24 removed from the road 28, and the like. The HMI 56 may be employed to input user data and to provide a user interface to interact with a program to operate a scale. The HMI 56 may be employed to input manual or automatic depth, full width pass or manual width of cut. The HMI 56 may display the data collected, such as total tons, total cubic yards, tons currently being loaded into the dump truck 96, and the like.

One example of a suitable HMI display 56 which may be employed is made by Parker CTC-P1 PowerStation. One example of a suitable display scoreboard 60 which may be employed is made by Red Lion, part number LD2SS6PO. One example of a suitable PLC 52 which may be employed is made by Allen Bradley—part number Micrologix1200 1762-L24BXBR.

The HMI 56 may be configured in any suitable manner. The HMI 56 shown includes four screens, shown in additional detail in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. The illustrated FIG. 4 provides for functional inputs. For example, the human user (not shown) may select that the milling machine 20 execute a preprogrammed five-foot width of cut during each pass of the milling machine 20 along the road 28—or a preprogrammed four-foot width, or a preprogrammed three-foot width, or a preprogrammed two-foot width. The human user may also enter another suitable custom width as desired.

The illustrated FIG. 5 may be a screen configured to provide for calculating outputs. The outputs may accumulate during a day when the milling machine 20 is being used. As may be appreciated, the screen may allow for navigation to other screens, such as the main menu or other desired screen. The daily tonnage, number of trucks loaded, square yards milled, and total wait time may be calculated and displayed as desired.

The illustrated FIG. 6 may be a screen employed to calibrate selected activity of the milling machine 20. As shown, the scale setup may employ a predetermined weight per cubic foot of material to be milled. For example, a previously determined number of 2.11 pounds per cubic foot may be entered on the scale set-up when asphalt is the material to be milled. The input adjustments of −200 and +200 may be employed to more specifically incorporate actual weights of milled material 24 loaded into the waiting dump truck 96. The dump truck 96 is shown to the right of the milling machine 20, though may be placed at any suitable location for use. For example, if the dump truck 96 filled with milled material 24 is slightly lighter than anticipated when the dump truck 96 is weighed, an input adjustment of +200 may be input into the HMI 56. When this occurs, the next dump truck 96 may be loaded with slightly more milled material 24 to compensate. This can be accomplished by the milling machine 20 moving an appropriate distance further along the road 28 while the milling drum 76 engages the road 28.

Conversely, if the loaded dump truck 96 is slightly too heavy, the input adjustment of −200 may be input into the HMI 56. When this occurs, the next dump truck 96 may be loaded with slightly less milled material 24 to compensate. This can be accomplished by the milling machine 20 moving an appropriate distance less along the road 28 while the milling drum 76 engages the road 28. It will be appreciated that the weight of milled material 24 loading into the dump truck 96 can be regulated by the distance the milling machine 20 moves while the milling drum 76 engages the road 28.

The illustrated FIG. 7 may be a screen employed to calibrate or estimate the density of the milled material 24 gathered from the road 28 by the milling machine 20. For example, a previously determined memory value of 2.11 pounds per cubic foot may be entered on the scale set-up when asphalt is the material to be milled. A different memory value may be employed for concrete. A yet-different memory value may be employed for material obtained from a particular job location. For example, a given stretch of road may yield 2.34 pounds per cubic foot of milled material 24. If that same milling machine 20 is used along that same stretch of road the very next day, beginning the milling process by having the milling machine 20 set at 2.34 pounds per cubic foot would predictably yield a dump truck 96 of approximately the same weight each time the milling machine 20 moved that given distance with the same depth of cut and width of cut.

The milling machine 20 also may include a CAN Bus Adapter 64 and a CAN based grade system 68 and one or more linear motion potentiometers 72L, 72R, which may also may be simply referred to herein as potentiometers. The potentiometers 72L, 72R are sensors. One example of a suitable CAN Bus Adapter 64 is made by Gridconnect—part number CAN-232. One example of a suitable CAN based grade system 68 is made by MOBA—the MOBA-matic.

The potentiometers need not be linear motion type. Since the right side of the milling machine 20 is shown in FIG. 1, the right linear motion potentiometers 72R is shown in FIG. 1. The linear motion potentiometers 72L, 72R measure axial displacement. In general, linear motion potentiometers 72L, 72R operate on the principle of a linear resistive voltage divider, i.e. a wiper slides along a resistive track causing the output voltage of the wiper to be proportional to its position on the track. The potentiometers 72L, 72R are coupled with the milling drum 76—also known as a cutter. The position and depth of cut of the milling drum 76 are thus determinable, and can be processed by the first PLC 52. The first PLC 52 may use the position and depth of cut of the milling drum 76 to calculate the weight of milled material as desired. Any suitable sensor may be employed in place of, or in addition to, the potentiometer shown.

The potentiometers 72L, 72R provide signals to the CAN based grade system 68. The term “signal” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, any impulse or a fluctuating electric quantity, such as voltage, current, or electric field strength, whose variations represent coded information. The milling drum 76 is positioned based on data from the CAN based grade system 68 using the signal from the potentiometers 72L, 72R. The potentiometers 72L, 72R may be employed as a height sensor to generate height data.

The milling machine 20 also may include a width sensing device 84. The width sensing device 84 may be operatively connected to the first PLC 52. Any suitable width sensing device 84, or numbers of width sensing devices, may be employed, including but not limited to sonar, vision system, laser, mechanical means, or the like. In operation, the width sensing device 84 may be positioned generally proximate to one or more of the crawlers 32. The width sensing device 84 is a sensor.

The width sensing device 84 may be employed to detect the edge(s) of the one or more of the crawlers 32. The width sensing device 84 may be employed to detect the edge(s) of the milling drum 76. The edge(s) of the one or more of the crawlers 32 and the edges of the milling drum 76 may be positioned in a known relationship to each other. The milling machine 20 may be optimally positioned on the road 28 and, with data from the width sensing device 84 which may automatically sense the width of cut, optimize removal of the milled material 24 proximate to the exposed edges of the road 28 to be processed with the milling drum 76.

One possible width sensing device 84 that may be employed is an IP68 Sealed Camera available from Banner Engineering Corp. Other Banner sensors may be employed as the width sensing device 84, as may various other types of devices available in commerce. Another example from Banner is the iVu Series TG Image Sensor.

Any suitable milling drum 76 may be employed. The milling drum 76 may be fixed in length of about six feet wide or about seven feet wide—or any other suitable width. The milling drum 76 may include carbide teeth for removal of asphalt milled material 24 from the road 28. The milling drum 76 may rotate at any suitable rate, often ranging within the range of from about 50 RPM to about 2,000 RPM as desired. Milled material 24 removed from the road 28 by the milling drum 76 may be generally augured toward a discharge area and generally directed toward the lower conveyor 88 then conveyed to the upper conveyor 92 and into the waiting dump truck 96. When the dump truck 96 is appropriately filled with milled material 24, the dump truck 96 can be weighed, and moved, typically being driven to a destination where the milled material 24 can be removed from the dump truck 96. The CAN based grade system 68 and one or more linear motion potentiometers 72L, 72R are useful to adjust the relative position of the milling drum 76 to allow the milling machine 20 to mill the road 28 appropriately.

Referring now primarily to FIG. 8, a computer program may process the data present on the CAN bus 62, data from the sensor 48, data from the width sensing device 84, and data from the potentiometers 72L, 72R. The data may be hexadecimal data that may be filtered from other data on the CAN bus 62 by the CAN bus adaptor 64. The data may be provided to the first PLC 52 and may be converted and scaled into the depth of cut from one or more sides (such as left and/or right) of the milling machine 20. The first PLC 52 may calculate or estimate a weight for the milled material 24 by multiplying the depth of cut by the width of cut and the distance traveled by the milling machine 20 and weight per cubic yard value for the type of material being milled from the road 28.

The depth of cut can be determined from the CAN bus 62 of the CAN based grade control system 68. The CAN Bus 62 is shown operatively connected to the CAN based grade system 68. The CAN based grade system 68 may alter the depth and/or the angle of operation and/or orientation of the milling machine 20. The term “angle” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, any structure or functionality which defines or creates a corner. The corner may constitute a projecting part or an enclosed or partially enclosed space. The corner may be generally straight, generally curved or arced—or partially straight or curved. The term “angle” may also include the space between two lines or surfaces at or near the point at which they touch or intersect.

Detecting the depth and/or the angle of operation and/or orientation of the milling machine 20 may be accomplished by using the CAN bus adaptor 64 which may use the CAN data from the CAN bus 62 and convert it to a protocol that the first PLC 52, or microcontroller, or PC, or the like can use or interpret. A program may be employed to convert this data which may be in hexadecimal format into real numbers which may be used in mathematical formulas and may be displayed to the operator on the HMI 56. A depth-of-cut value may also be calculated using data from the potentiometers 72L, 72R. The potentiometers 72L, 72R may provide an analog value that can be scaled and converted as desired for processing.

The illustrated milling machine 20 also includes five PLC-type controllers 101, 102, 103, 104, 105. Any suitable number and types of controllers may be employed as desired. For purposes of clarity, the five PLC-type controllers 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 may be referred to as the second 101, third 102, fourth 103, fifth 104, and sixth 106 controllers. The second controller 101 may be employed for use in the conveyor functions of the milling machine 20. The third controller 102 may be employed for use in the milling and water systems (not shown) of the milling machine 20. The fourth controller 103 may be employed for use in the engine and propel systems (not shown) of the milling machine 20. The fifth controller 104 may be employed for use in the raising and lowering of portions of the milling machine 20 and automatic grade control (not shown) of the milling machine 20. The sixth controller 105 may be employed for use in steering of the milling machine 20. These five controllers 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 share data on the CAN bus 62 using a CAN embedded networking protocol. The CAN-based grade system 68 may also share data with the fifth controller 104 using the CAN bus 62. The illustrated CAN bus 62 may be a two-wire CAN bus. When the potentiometers 72L and 72R move or otherwise detect a change in position, the data associated with this change of depth may be broadcast and/or carried on the CAN bus 62.

The CAN bus adaptor 64 may be programmed to selectively filter the CAN network traffic and extract the data that reports the depth of cut measured by 72L and 72R and send it to the first PLC 52 to be used to calculate and/or estimate the weight of milled material 24 being loaded into the dump truck 96. The CAN bus adaptor 64 may be used to selectively read and filter data on the CAN bus 62 and send the filtered message to the PLC 52. For example, changes in the depth of cut may be filtered by the CAN bus adaptor 64 and be broadcast to the PLC 52. The changes in the depth of cut may be selectively filtered from other bus traffic by the CAN bus adaptor 64.

In addition to use on roads, the milling machine 20 and the disclosed system may be employed for use in a variety of surface mining operations. Desired modifications may be made to optimize such a use. In general, the milling drum 76 could be used on the surface to be mined in similar fashion to the way it can be used on the road 28 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 to remove material from the surface to be mined.

The definitions used herein are provided solely to facilitate an understanding of the invention—not to limit the invention. In operation, the milling machine 20 and various components of the milling machine provide a mechanism to collect milled material 24 and optimize use of the dump truck 96 without over loading the dump truck 96.

The term “axis” as used in this application may be understood to include, but is not limited to, a generally straight line about which a body or a geometric figure rotates or may be supposed to rotate. The “axis” may be a generally straight line with respect to which a body, component, or figure may be generally symmetrical or positioned. The “axis” may be a reference line of a coordinate system.

The illustrated milling machine 20 is shown positioned to travel generally along the x-axis, shown on FIG. 1 and FIG. 3. The x-axis may be useful to represent the length dimension of the milling machine 20 and the road 28 as shown. The y-axis may be useful to represent the width dimension of the milling machine 20 and the first pass 100 on the road 28 and the second pass 104 on the road 28. It will be noted that the x-axis and the y-axis are shown generally perpendicular. The illustrated linear motion potentiometers 72L, 72R are shown positioned to move generally along the z-axis, shown on FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The z-axis may be useful to represent the height dimension of the milling machine 20. It will be noted that the x-axis and the y-axis and the z-axis are shown generally perpendicular with respect to each other. For purposes of clarity, the height dimension of the milling machine 20 generally corresponds to the depth of cut into the road 28 and displacement of the potentiometers 72L, 72R.

The milling machine may employ a CAN based grade control system. The CAN bus adaptor may be connected to the CAN bus of the grade control system. The CAN bus adaptor may be set at a suitable baud rate to read the CAN data, such as 125K any other suitable rate. One or more filters may be configured within the CAN bus adaptor to selectively filter the depth of cut CAN messages for the left and right potentiometers from other CAN bus traffic and the like. The CAN messages for the depth of cut that were filtered from the bus may then be sent to a PLC to convert raw hexadecimal data into real numbers that can be used in calculations for weighing of the milled material.

A program for the PLC 52 may be employed to receive the depth of cut CAN messages generated from the potentiometers 72L, 72R. The bytes may be swapped and the value scaled to represent the depth of cut in inches or centimeters. The PLC program may process data from the sensor 48. The sensor 48 may selectively send data when a pad 40 passes by the laser. This input, when transitioning from true to false, signals that the milling machine 20 has moved about six inches. The PLC program may also process the width of cut data. The width of cut may be detected or may be an input from the HMI selected by the operator. This will give the PLC 52 the depth, width, and length of cut. With this information, the weight, square yards and cubic yards can be calculated and displayed to the operator. The HMI 56 and a display scoreboard 60 may be configured and programmed as desired to receive and display the data for cooperation with the PLC 52.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the accompanying description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The disclosure may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including equivalent constructions. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract and disclosure are neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor are they intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

Claims

1. A milling machine adapted to remove milled material to be weighed from a road, comprising:

a CAN based grade system operatively connected to a height sensor and a milling drum;

a CAN Bus adapter operatively connected to the CAN based grade system; and

a programmable logic controller operatively connected to the CAN Bus adapter,

wherein the milling drum selectively removes the milled material to be weighed from the road, and the height sensor provides data to the CAN based grade system, and the milling drum is positioned based on data from the CAN based grade system.

2. The milling machine of claim 1, wherein the height sensor is a potentiometer.

3. The milling machine of claim 1 further comprising a crawler and a track operatively connected to the milling machine, and having a plurality of pads secured to the track defining gaps between the pads, and further comprising a sensor positioned to detect the relative positions of the pads and thereby detect movement of the milling machine.

4. The milling machine of claim 1 further comprising a human machine interface operatively connected to the programmable logic controller.

5. The milling machine of claim 4, wherein the human machine interface is adapted to calibrate selected activity of the milling machine.

6. The milling machine of claim 1 further comprising a width sensor operatively connected to the programmable logic controller and further comprising a crawler, wherein the width sensor is adapted to detect an edge of the crawler.

7. The milling machine of claim 1 further comprising a crawler and a track operatively connected to the milling machine, and having a plurality of pads secured to the track defining gaps between the pads, and further comprising a sensor positioned to detect the relative positions of the pads and further comprising a width sensor operatively connected to the programmable logic controller and further comprising a crawler, wherein the width sensor is adapted to detect an edge of the crawler.

8. The milling machine of claim 7, wherein the height sensor is a potentiometer.

9. A milling machine adapted to remove milled material to be weighed from a road, comprising:

a CAN based grade system operatively connected to a height sensor and a milling drum;

a programmable logic controller operatively connected to the CAN Bus adapter,

wherein the milling drum selectively removes the milled material to be weighed from the road, and the height sensor provides data to the CAN based grade system, and the milling drum is positioned based on data from the CAN based grade system.

10. The milling machine of claim 9 further comprising a CAN Bus operatively connected to the CAN based grade system, wherein the CAN Bus adapter selectively filters data from the CAN Bus.

11. The milling machine of claim 10 further comprising a crawler and a track operatively connected to the milling machine, and having a plurality of pads secured to the track defining gaps between the pads, and further comprising a sensor positioned to detect the relative positions of the pads and thereby detect movement of the milling machine.

12. The milling machine of claim 10 further comprising a crawler and a width sensor operatively connected to the programmable logic controller wherein the width sensor is adapted to detect an edge of the crawler.

13. The milling machine of claim 9 further comprising a CAN Bus operatively connected to the CAN based grade system, wherein the CAN Bus adapter selectively filters data from the CAN Bus and further comprising a crawler and a track operatively connected to the milling machine, and having a plurality of pads secured to the track defining gaps between the pads, and further comprising a sensor positioned to detect the relative positions of the pads and thereby detect movement of the milling machine and further comprising a width sensor operatively connected to the programmable logic controller wherein the width sensor is adapted to detect an edge of the crawler.

14. The milling machine of claim 10, wherein the height sensor is a potentiometer.

15. The milling machine of claim 10 further comprising a human machine interface operatively connected to the programmable logic controller wherein the human machine interface is adapted to calibrate selected activity of the milling machine.

16. The milling machine of claim 15 wherein the human machine interface is adapted to calibrate an actual weight of milled material.

17. A milling machine adapted to remove milled material to be weighed from a road, comprising:

a CAN based grade system operatively connected to a height sensor and a milling drum;

a CAN Bus adapter operatively connected to the CAN based grade system;

a programmable logic controller operatively connected to the CAN Bus adapter;

a crawler and a track operatively connected to the milling machine, and having a plurality of pads secured to the track defining gaps between the pads, and further comprising a sensor positioned to detect the relative positions of the pads; and

a width sensor operatively connected to the programmable logic controller, the width sensor being adapted to detect an edge of the crawler, wherein the milling drum selectively removes the milled material to be weighed from the road, and the height sensor provides data to the CAN based grade system, and the milling drum is positioned based on data from the CAN based grade system.

18. The milling machine of claim 17 further comprising a human machine interface operatively connected to the programmable logic controller wherein the human machine interface is adapted to calibrate selected activity of the milling machine.

19. The milling machine of claim 18 wherein the human machine interface is adapted to calibrate an actual weight of milled material

20. The milling machine of claim 17, wherein the height sensor is a potentiometer.