Abstract: A vacuum fluorescent iconographic display (10) operable to communicate the operating conditions of a low temperature refrigeration unit (5), with the display (10) using only intuitively recognizable pictorial iconic elements (12), numeric elements (14), and recognized symbolic elements (16) to convey the information. The iconic elements (12) unambiguously represent the various operating conditions without reliance on legends or other conventional written or spoken language, thereby avoiding translation or interpretation mistakes due to the use of such a conventional language in a possibly international product or multi-lingual situation. The iconic elements (12) may also be used in diagnostic applications by lighting, for example, in combination with the numeric elements (14) to communicate quantitative diagnostic measurements of the subsystem represented by the icon.

Abstract: A vacuum fluorescent iconographic display (10) operable to communicate the operating conditions of a low temperature refrigeration unit (5), with the display (10) using only intuitively recognizable pictorial iconic elements (12), numeric elements (14), and recognized symbolic elements (16) to convey the information. The iconic elements (12) unambiguously represent the various operating conditions without reliance on legends or other conventional written or spoken language, thereby avoiding translation or interpretation mistakes due to the use of such a conventional language in a possibly international product or multi-lingual situation. The iconic elements (12) may also be used in diagnostic applications by lighting, for example, in combination with the numeric elements (14) to communicate quantitative diagnostic measurements of the subsystem represented by the icon.

Abstract: A two-stage refrigerator for medicine or similar material storage in the known operation of which the high stage chills the refrigerant of the low stage so that extremely low temperatures can be obtained in the freezer compartment. In a departure from present practice, both stages, not just the low stage, have an on-off operating mode in response to the freezer compartment temperature, with the result that there is a significant reduction in the consumption of electrical power by the unit.