Engineering Software by Grammatical Inference

Apparatus for sensing the arrival of a motor vehicle at the pick-up window of a drive-thru business and providing a visual display of the length of time that the motor vehicle is present at the window. Visual and audible alarms apprise operating personnel that the vehicle has been present for a predetermined length of time. The apparatus also totals and displays the number of vehicles as well as the total duration of stay of all vehicles arriving at the pick-up window. The motor vehicles are sensed by means of a vertically oriented rectangular loop detector positioned beneath the pick-up window adjacent the vehicle approach lane. The detector senses the metallic sides of the approaching vehicle, and is shielded to prevent spurious signals. The apparatus finds particular application for improving the working efficiency of operating personnel of the drive-in business.