Patent Description:
The present technology relates to immersive cooling systems. In particular, the present technology relates to an extraction system for extracting an electronic device from an immersive cooling container.

Data centers are used to house computer systems such as servers and associated equipment (e.g., networking equipment). The servers and associated electronic equipment are conventionally grouped in racks which store multiple such servers, typically aligned in rows in order to define aisles therebetween from which the electronic equipment stored in the racks can be accessed. Large data centers and other large computing facilities may contain thousands of racks supporting thousands or even tens of thousands of servers.

As the servers and other electronic equipment generate significant amounts of heat, ensuring adequate cooling of the electronic equipment stored in the racks is an important consideration. Notably, the performance of the electronic equipment can be compromised by excess heat, in some cases even leading to failure.

Immersion cooling (sometimes called immersive cooling) is a recently introduced solution for cooling servers. It consists in storing the servers in immersion tanks (also referred to as "immersion racks" given that they replace the conventional racks used in data centers) that are fully or partially filled with a non-electrically conductive cooling liquid, for example an oil-based dielectric cooling liquid. In this manner, good thermal contact is obtained between the servers and the cooling medium, namely the dielectric cooling liquid. However, when removing a server from an immersion tank (e.g., to perform maintenance on the server), an outer surface of the server is covered with the dielectric cooling liquid and therefore the server must first be cleaned by the operator in order to perform maintenance thereon. The cleaning process can be a tedious task that can be made difficult by the viscosity of the dielectric cooling liquid which is typically much greater (e.g., <NUM> to <NUM> times greater) than that of water, thereby even potentially causing the operator to inadvertently drop the server.

A system for extraction and manipulation of electronic devices from immersive cooling containers which alleviates at least some of the inconveniences present in the prior art is thus desirable.

The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches.

<CIT> discloses techniques for mitigating loss of vaporized working fluid in a two-phase immersion cooling system implemented using one or more supplemental condensers that facilitate condensation of vaporized working fluid when the immersion tank is open, and one or more vapor collection points that are in fluid communication with at least one supplemental condenser. One or more fluid displacement devices are configured to create suction pressure at the one or more vapor collection points. One or more vents are positioned in the door. The one or more vents are configured to permit movement of air from outside the immersion tank into an interior portion of the immersion tank without permitting loss of vaporized working fluid. A directional blowing device is configured to blow a gaseous substance against a computing device in a downward direction as the computing device is being pulled upward out of the tank.

<CIT> discloses a two-phase liquid immersion cooling system is described in which heat generating computer components cause a dielectric fluid in its liquid phase to vaporize. The dielectric vapor is then condensed back into a liquid phase and used to cool the computer components. Using a pressure controlled vessel and pressure controller, the disclosed system may be operated at less than ambient pressure. By controlling the pressure at which the system operates, the user may influence the temperature at which the dielectric fluid vaporizes and thereby achieve increased performance from a given computer component. Utilizing robotic arms and slot-in computing components, a self-healing computing system may be created. A two-phase liquid immersion cooling system is described in which heat generating computer components cause a dielectric fluid in its liquid phase to vaporize. The dielectric vapor is then condensed back into a liquid phase and used to cool the computer components. Using a pressure controlled vessel and pressure controller, the disclosed system may be operated at less than ambient pressure. By controlling the pressure at which the system operates, the user may influence the temperature at which the dielectric fluid vaporizes and thereby achieve increased performance from a given computer component. Utilizing robotic arms and slot-in computing components, a self-healing computing system may be created.

<CIT> discloses inner partitions disposed within a cooling tank have an open space to form arrayed housing parts, and at least one unit of electronic device housed in each of the housing parts. A lifting mechanism includes a tower having a guide and a driving source for raising and lowering an arm, a slide mechanism attached to the cooling tank, and a stopper for restricting the tower's movement so that a range of the tower's motion in a width direction of the cooling tank does not exceed at least a width of the open space. The slide mechanism supports the tower movably with respect to the cooling tank in a horizontal plane located above the open space.

<CIT> discloses two-phase immersion cooling systems that are used to cool electronic components submerged within a dielectric working fluid, but are susceptible to costly losses of working fluid when the cooling systems are opened to allow access to the electronic components for service or replacement. By selectively sealing certain portions of the cooling systems, loss of vaporized working fluid can be reduced.

<CIT> discloses a liquid immersion cooling systems including an immersion tank for housing cooling liquid, and a carrier tray. The carrier tray includes a mounting mechanism to attach one or more electronic components to the carrier tray, one or more handles, and one or more extendable sliders, each having a first connection to the carrier tray and a second connection to the immersion tank.

<CIT> discloses a computing module including one or more racks, one or more cooling components, and one or more power distribution components. The racks include one or more servers and one or more tanks that hold liquid coolant for the servers. The one or more cooling components move a liquid to remove heat from the servers. The one or more power distribution components supply power to the servers. The one or more racks, one or more cooling components, and one or more power distribution components are commonly coupled to one another to be movable as a unit.

It is an object of the present technology to ameliorate at least some of the inconveniences of the prior art.

According to one aspect of the present technology, there is provided an extraction system for extracting an electronic device from a container filled with an immersion cooling liquid, the extraction system comprising means for lifting the electronic device from an open end of the container, means for dispersing immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device by generating an air flow and a nozzle configured to be positioned above the open end of the container to limit a spread of immersion cooling liquid caused by the air flow.

In some implementations of the present technology, a lower end of the nozzle has a same shape as the open end of the container.

In some implementations of the present technology, the means for dispersing immersion cooling liquid is located within the nozzle.

In some implementations of the present technology, the means for dispersing immersion cooling liquid is a means for aspirating the immersion cooling liquid such that immersion cooling liquid is aspirated off the electronic device.

In some implementations of the present technology, the system further comprises a controller in communication with the means for lifting the electronic device and in communication with the means for dispersing the immersion cooling liquid, the controller being operable to actuate the means for lifting the electronic device synchronously with the means for dispersing the immersion cooling liquid.

In some implementations of the present technology, the means for lifting the electronic device extends at least in part within the nozzle in order to lift the electronic device through the nozzle.

In some implementations of the present technology, the means for lifting the electronic device comprises a pulley rotatable about a pulley axis, a line wrapping around the pulley and an attaching member connected to the line and configured to be attached to an attachment point of the electronic device.

In some implementations of the present technology, the attaching member is a hook.

In some implementations of the present technology, the means for lifting the electronic device further comprises a motor operatively connected to the pulley to selectively cause rotation of the pulley about the pulley axis in order to lift the attaching member.

In another aspect, various implementations of the present technology provide a cart for performing maintenance on a server system, the cart comprising a cart body, a plurality of wheels connected to the cart body and the extraction system of the paragraphs above, the extraction system being supported by the cart body.

In some implementations of the present technology, the cart further comprises an operation platform for operating on the electronic device after extraction from the container; and a control arm configured to receive the electronic device from the means for lifting the electronic device and change an orientation of the electronic device for positioning onto the operation platform.

In some implementations of the present technology, the control arm is configured rotate the electronic device from a generally vertical orientation to a generally horizontal orientation in order to position the electronic device on the operation platform in the generally horizontal orientation.

In some implementations of the present technology, the cart further comprises a collecting bin for receiving immersion cooling liquid that is removed from the electronic device, the collecting bin being disposed below the nozzle.

In some implementations of the present technology, the cart further comprises a filter for filtering out impurities contained in immersion cooling liquid being routed to the collecting bin.

In yet another aspect, various implementations of the present technology provide a method for performing maintenance on an electronic device enclosed within a container filled with immersion cooling liquid, the method making use of the extraction system and comprising placing the container at least partly below a nozzle, the nozzle being configured to limit spread of immersion cooling liquid, lifting the electronic device out of the container, and, while lifting the electronic device out of the container, dispersing immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device by generating an air flow.

In some implementations of the present technology, the method further comprises reorienting the electronic device after lifting the electronic device out of the container, and placing the electronic device on an operation platform to allow an operator to perform maintenance on the electronic device on the operation platform.

In the context of the present specification, unless expressly provided otherwise, a computer system may refer, but is not limited to, an "electronic device", an "operation system", a "system", a "computer-based system", a "controller unit", a "monitoring device", a "control device" and/or any combination thereof appropriate to the relevant task at hand.

In the context of the present specification, unless expressly provided otherwise, the expression "computer-readable medium" and "memory" are intended to include media of any nature and kind whatsoever, non-limiting examples of which include RAM, ROM, disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, floppy disks, hard disk drives, etc.), USB keys, flash memory cards, solid state-drives, and tape drives. Still in the context of the present specification, "a" computer-readable medium and "the" computer-readable medium should not be construed as being the same computer-readable medium. To the contrary, and whenever appropriate, "a" computer-readable medium and "the" computer-readable medium may also be construed as a first computer-readable medium and a second computer-readable medium.

In the context of the present specification, unless expressly provided otherwise, the words "first", "second", "third", etc. have been used as adjectives only for the purpose of allowing for distinction between the nouns that they modify from one another, and not for the purpose of describing any particular relationship between those nouns.

Implementations of the present technology each have at least one of the above-mentioned object and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology that have resulted from attempting to attain the above-mentioned object may not satisfy this object and/or may satisfy other objects not specifically recited herein.

It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified herein, the drawings are not to scale.

The examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present technology and not to limit its scope to such specifically recited examples and conditions. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art may devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, nonetheless embody the principles of the present technology.

Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and implementations of the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether they are currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present technology.

<FIG> illustrates a container <NUM> and an extraction system <NUM> according to one embodiment of the present technology. As will be explained below, the container <NUM> and the extraction system <NUM> are configured for use in a data center. Notably, the container <NUM> defines an internal volume <NUM> which is configured to at least partially receive therein a heat-generating electronic device <NUM>. In this embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> is a computer system, namely a server. It is contemplated that, in other embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> could be any other type of electronic device suitable for use in a data center such as networking equipment or power equipment.

In use, the internal volume <NUM> of the container <NUM> is also filled with an immersive cooling liquid, such as a dielectric cooling liquid, which absorbs thermal energy from the electronic device <NUM> in the container <NUM>. As such, the container <NUM> functions as an "immersion tank". In this example, with reference to <FIG>, a rack frame <NUM> is provided in the data center for storing and supporting multiple containers <NUM>. In particular, the rack frame <NUM> defines multiple shelves <NUM> on which the containers <NUM> are disposed. The containers <NUM> may be disposed side-by-side to more efficiently exploit a volume of the rack frame <NUM>. This arrangement may provide for mounting a large number of such containers <NUM> in the rack frame <NUM>.

As will be described in greater detail below, the extraction system <NUM> of the present technology is provided to extract the electronic device <NUM> from the container <NUM> in which it is stored in such a manner as to remove the immersive cooling liquid that sticks to the electronic device <NUM> upon its extraction from the container <NUM>. This can help minimize spills and waste of the immersive cooling liquid and also facilitate handling of the electronic device <NUM> by an operator.

As best shown in <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> is configured to be inserted and removed from the container <NUM> through an open end <NUM> (corresponding to an upper end) of the container <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> has a detachable frame <NUM> and a plurality of electric components <NUM> connected thereto. For instance, the electronic components <NUM> may include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) and any other suitable electronic components. In this embodiment, the detachable frame <NUM> also hosts a convection-inducing structure <NUM> to cool/induce convection in the immersion cooling liquid. In this example, the convection-inducing structure is a serpentine convection coil <NUM> attached to the detachable frame <NUM>. The serpentine convection coil <NUM> may allow a flow of a circulating cooling liquid. The circulating cooling liquid, by means of convection, may cool down the immersion cooling liquid.

In some embodiments, in addition to immersion cooling, some of the electronic components <NUM> may be cooled using one or more thermal transfer devices, which may also be called "cold plates" or "water blocks" (although a liquid circulating through the "water blocks" may be any of a wide variety of known thermal transfer liquids, rather than water). Examples of heat-generating electronic components that may be cooled using such a thermal transfer devices include, but are not limited to, CPUs, GPUs, neural processing units (NPUs), tensor processing units (TPUs), power supply circuitry, and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), including, for example, ASICs configured for high-speed cryptocurrency mining.

A more detailed description of the electronic device <NUM> can be found in <CIT>.

Returning now to <FIG>, in this embodiment, the extraction system <NUM> is installed in a cart <NUM>. Notably, the cart <NUM> has a cart body <NUM> including a chassis <NUM>, the cart body <NUM> supporting the extraction system <NUM>. The cart <NUM> also has a plurality of wheels <NUM> connected to the cart body <NUM> for allowing the cart <NUM> to roll on a ground surface of the data center. As such, in this embodiment, the extraction system <NUM> may be displaced and disposed in a vicinity of the container <NUM> enclosing the electronic device <NUM> to be extracted therefrom. In this example, the cart <NUM> is manually directed by an operator. However, it is contemplated that the wheels <NUM> could be powered by a motor for automated displacement of the cart <NUM>. In some embodiments, the cart <NUM> may include a dedicated computer system, a chassis controller, and/or sensors. In other embodiments, the cart <NUM> may comprise any other suitable mechanism for displacing the extraction system <NUM> within the data center, such as endless tracks or a mechanism for traveling on rails. It is contemplated that any other suitable mobile carrier other than a cart may be provided with the extraction system <NUM> in other embodiments. Moreover, in other embodiments, no mobile carrier may be provided and the extraction system <NUM> may instead be provided on a stationary workstation.

In this embodiment, the cart body <NUM> defines a first opening <NUM> through which the container <NUM> can be inserted within an interior volume <NUM> of the cart body <NUM>. In some cases, one or more rails may extend through the first opening <NUM> to support and guide the container <NUM> from the rack frame <NUM> of the data center initially supporting the container <NUM> to the interior volume <NUM> of the cart body <NUM>. In this embodiment, the operator manually places the container <NUM> within the interior volume <NUM> of the cart body <NUM> through the first opening <NUM>. The cart body <NUM> also defines a second opening <NUM> through which the electronic device <NUM> is removed from the interior volume <NUM>, as will be described in more detail below. As can be seen, in this embodiment, the first opening <NUM> is defined by a front vertical surface <NUM> of the cart body <NUM> while the second opening <NUM> is defined by a top horizontal surface <NUM> of the cart body <NUM> that is perpendicular to the front vertical surface <NUM>. As such, in this embodiment, the first and second openings <NUM>, <NUM> extend along planes that are generally perpendicular to one another.

The extraction system <NUM> will now be described in detail with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. In this embodiment, as best shown in <FIG>, the extraction system <NUM> comprises a nozzle <NUM>, a means <NUM> for lifting the electronic device <NUM> and a means <NUM> for dispersing immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device <NUM> while extracting the electronic device <NUM> from the container <NUM>. As will be described below, these components of the extraction system <NUM> collaborate together to carefully and cleanly extract the electronic device <NUM> from the container <NUM> such as to avoid accidental spills and/or mishandling of the electronic device <NUM>. In this embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the nozzle <NUM> and the means <NUM> are disposed within the interior volume <NUM> of the cart body <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the nozzle <NUM> is configured to be positioned above the open end <NUM> of the container <NUM> in order to limit a spread of the immersion cooling liquid outside of the container <NUM> during extraction of the electronic device <NUM> therefrom. The nozzle <NUM> has side walls <NUM> defining an internal nozzle passage <NUM> which extends from an inlet end <NUM> on a lower side of the nozzle <NUM> to an outlet end <NUM> on an upper side of the nozzle <NUM>. As such, the inlet end <NUM> may be referred as a lower end of the nozzle <NUM>, and the outlet end <NUM> may be referred to as an upper end of the nozzle <NUM>. In this embodiment, the shape and dimensions of the inlet end <NUM> are approximately the same as the shape and dimensions of the open end <NUM> of the container <NUM>. Meanwhile, the shape and dimensions of the outlet end <NUM> are slightly greater than the shape and dimensions of the electronic device <NUM> to allow the electronic device <NUM> to fit therethrough. As such, in this embodiment, the inlet end <NUM> has a greater periphery (e.g., a greater width and/or length) than the outlet end <NUM>. The nozzle <NUM> may thus be said to converge from the inlet end <NUM> to the outlet end <NUM>. In this embodiment, the inlet and outlet ends <NUM>, <NUM> are generally rectangular.

It is contemplated that the nozzle <NUM> could be shaped differently. For instance, in other embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the nozzle <NUM> may diverge (instead of converge) from the inlet end <NUM> to the outlet end <NUM>. That is, the periphery of the outlet end <NUM> (e.g., its width and/or length) may be greater than the periphery of the inlet end <NUM>. For example, this may be the case when the electronic device <NUM> has a cross-sectional profile, taken along a plane normal to the direction of insertion/removal of the electronic device <NUM> from the container <NUM>, that is only slightly smaller than that of the container <NUM> since the diverging shape of the nozzle <NUM> would allow the electronic device <NUM> to be removed from the nozzle <NUM> through the outlet end <NUM>.

It is contemplated that the nozzle <NUM> may be moveably connected to rails within the interior volume <NUM> of the cart body <NUM> such that a position of the nozzle <NUM> above the electronic device <NUM> contained in the container <NUM> may be adjusted.

Returning now to <FIG>, the means <NUM> for lifting the electronic device <NUM> is configured to lift the electronic device <NUM> from the container <NUM>. The means <NUM> may thus be referred to as a lifting device <NUM>. In this embodiment, the lifting device <NUM> includes a pulley <NUM> rotatable about a pulley axis <NUM>. A bracket arm <NUM> is connected to the cart body <NUM> and supports the pulley <NUM>. In particular, the bracket arm <NUM> extends from the top horizontal surface <NUM> of the cart body <NUM>. Notably, as shown in <FIG>, in this embodiment, the pulley <NUM> and the bracket arm <NUM>, are disposed outside of the interior volume <NUM>. The lifting device <NUM> also includes a line <NUM> wrapped around the pulley <NUM> and an attaching member <NUM> connected to a free end of the line <NUM>. The line <NUM> may be any suitable flexible link such as a wire, a cable or a rope. The line <NUM> is wrapped about the pulley <NUM> such that rotation of the pulley <NUM> about the pulley axis <NUM> causes the free end of the line <NUM> to be deployed (lowered) or retracted (lifted). The attaching member <NUM> is configured to be removably connected to a corresponding attaching member <NUM> (<FIG>) of the electronic device <NUM>. For instance, in this embodiment, the attaching member <NUM> is a hook, and the electronic device <NUM> is thus provided with a loop <NUM> that can be engaged by the hook. It is contemplated that, in other embodiments, the attaching member <NUM> could be a suction cup, a clamp, or any other mechanism suitable for removable connection to the electronic device <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the lifting device <NUM> also includes a motor <NUM> operatively connected to the pulley <NUM> to selectively cause rotation of the pulley <NUM> about the pulley axis <NUM> in order to deploy or retract the line <NUM>. A controller <NUM>, shown in <FIG>, is in communication with the motor <NUM> to control actuation of the pulley <NUM>. For instance, the controller <NUM> can control the motor <NUM> to cause the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the pulley <NUM> about the pulley axis <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may also control the speed of the rotation of the pulley <NUM> thereby controlling the speed at which the line <NUM> is deployed and retracted. The controller <NUM> will be described in greater detail further below.

The motor <NUM> could be omitted in other embodiments. In such embodiments, the pulley <NUM> may be actuated manually for example.

The means <NUM> for dispersing the immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device <NUM> removes the immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device <NUM> by generating an air flow. The means <NUM> may be referred to as a liquid dispersing device <NUM>. In this embodiment, the liquid dispersing device <NUM> is an aspirator for producing suction and is fluidly connected to the nozzle <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, in this embodiment, the liquid dispersing device <NUM> is disposed on an inner contour of the inlet end <NUM> of the nozzle <NUM> such that, upon extraction of the electronic device <NUM>, the immersion cooling liquid is removed from the electronic device <NUM> by the liquid dispersing device <NUM> as it traverses through the internal nozzle passage <NUM>. It is contemplated that the liquid dispersing device <NUM> could be positioned at the outlet end <NUM> instead of the inlet end <NUM>, or at a location between inlet and outlet ends <NUM>, <NUM>. In this embodiment, the controller <NUM> is in communication with the liquid dispersing device <NUM> to control actuation of the liquid dispersing device <NUM>. It is contemplated that, in other embodiments, a separate controller could control the liquid dispersing device <NUM>.

It is contemplated that, in other embodiments, the liquid dispersing device <NUM> may be a blower instead of an aspirator. As such, the liquid dispersing device <NUM> could generate an air flow to blow, e.g., in an upward or downward direction, the immersion cooling liquid off the electronic device <NUM>. Such an embodiment is illustrated for example in <FIG>, in which the liquid dispersing device <NUM> is a blower for generating an air flow that blows the immersion cooling liquid off the electronic device <NUM> during its extraction from the container <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, in this example, the dispersing device <NUM> is disposed on an inner contour of the outlet end <NUM> of the nozzle <NUM> such that, upon extraction of the electronic device <NUM> from the container <NUM>, a greater proportion of the outer surfaces of the electronic device <NUM> is exposed to the air blown by the liquid dispersing device <NUM> as the electronic device <NUM> traverses through the internal nozzle passage <NUM>. As such, in this example, the air blown by the liquid dispersing device <NUM> flows in a downward direction and towards the open end <NUM> of the container <NUM>. Part of the immersion cooling liquid removed from the electronic device <NUM> may thus be projected back into the container <NUM>. It should be understood that the liquid dispersing device <NUM> implemented as a blower may also be used in conjunction with the nozzle <NUM> having the converging shape (shown in <FIG>).

Returning now to <FIG>, the extraction system <NUM> further comprises a robotic control arm <NUM> configured to receive the electronic device <NUM> from the lifting device <NUM> and change an orientation of the electronic device <NUM> for positioning onto an operation platform <NUM>. The operation platform <NUM> corresponds to the location on the cart <NUM> at which an operator would perform maintenance on the electronic device <NUM>. In this embodiment, the operation platform <NUM> is defined by the top horizontal surface <NUM> of the cart body <NUM>. It is contemplated that the operation platform <NUM> could be defined by a different surface (e.g., a surface of another cart or workstation). The control arm <NUM> is connected to the cart body <NUM> and is disposed next to the lifting device <NUM>. In this embodiment, the control arm <NUM> has a grip <NUM> configured to grasp the electronic device <NUM> to allow the control arm <NUM> to manipulate the electronic device <NUM>. The control arm <NUM> has articulations which allow the control arm <NUM> to pivot along various axes in order to move the grip <NUM> (and the electronic device <NUM> when grasped thereby) to a desired location. For example, two consecutive articulations of the control arm <NUM> are connected by a control arm section such that each control arm section is rotatable to extend at an adjustable angle in any direction relatively to a successive control arm section.

In this embodiment, the controller <NUM> is in communication with the control arm <NUM> to control actuation of the control arm <NUM>. It is contemplated that, in other embodiments, a separate controller could control the control arm <NUM>.

A method <NUM> for performing maintenance on the electronic device <NUM> enclosed within the container <NUM> will now be described with reference to <FIG>. Some operations or portions of operations in the flowchart of <FIG> may be executed concurrently, omitted or changed in order.

The method <NUM> comprises placing, at operation <NUM>, the container <NUM> at least partly below the nozzle <NUM>. More particularly, in this embodiment, the operation <NUM> comprises inserting the container <NUM> within the interior volume <NUM> of the cart body <NUM> through the first opening <NUM>, and positioning the container <NUM> on a support surface of the cart body <NUM> such that the open end <NUM> of the container <NUM> is disposed below the nozzle <NUM>. In particular, the inlet end <NUM> of the nozzle <NUM> is disposed in close proximity to the open end <NUM> of the container <NUM>. In some embodiments, the nozzle <NUM> itself may be movable such that, after positioning the container <NUM> within the cart body <NUM>, the nozzle <NUM> is movable (e.g., downward) to bring the inlet end <NUM> thereof in close proximity to the open end <NUM> of the container <NUM>.

The method <NUM> further comprises lifting, at operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> out of the container <NUM>. More specifically, in this embodiment, the pulley <NUM> is actuated (via the motor <NUM>) such as to unroll the line <NUM> by rotation of the pulley <NUM> in order for the attaching member <NUM> to reach the electronic device <NUM> within the interior volume <NUM>. As such, in this example, the line <NUM>, when deployed, extends through the second opening <NUM> and through the outlet end <NUM> of the nozzle <NUM>. The attaching member <NUM> is then attached to an attachment point <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the attaching member <NUM>, which in this embodiment is a hook, can engage the loop <NUM> provided at the attachment point <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>. Once the attaching member <NUM> is engaged with the electronic device <NUM>, the pulley <NUM> is actuated to retract the line <NUM> and the attaching member <NUM> which causes the electronic device <NUM> to slide out of the container <NUM> and be lifted upwards into the internal nozzle passage <NUM> of the nozzle <NUM>. In particular, the electronic device <NUM> is directed towards the outlet end <NUM> of the nozzle <NUM>.

As the electronic device <NUM> is being removed from the container <NUM> via the lifting device <NUM>, a certain amount of the immersion cooling liquid sticks to the outer surfaces of the electronic device <NUM> due to the significant viscosity of the immersion cooling liquid. In order to prevent this immersion cooling liquid from spilling out thereby causing waste, at operation <NUM>, the method <NUM> further comprises dispersing the immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device <NUM> by generating an air flow. Notably, the controller <NUM> actuates the liquid dispersing device <NUM> to aspirate the immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device <NUM> while the lifting device <NUM> lifts the electronic device <NUM> from the container <NUM>. As such, in this embodiment, the controller synchronously actuates the lifting device <NUM> and the liquid dispersing device <NUM>. It is contemplated that the speed at which the electronic device <NUM> is lifted from the container <NUM> by the lifting device <NUM> (i.e., determined by the speed of the motor <NUM>) may be based on the air flow generated by the liquid dispersing device <NUM> in order to efficiently remove the immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device <NUM>.

During this operation, the inner surfaces of the nozzle <NUM> prevent droplets of the immersion cooling liquid from being projected outwards, thereby limiting the spread of the immersion cooling liquid that could be caused by the air flow generated by the liquid dispersing device <NUM>. Since in this embodiment the liquid dispersing device <NUM> is disposed along the outlet end <NUM> of the nozzle <NUM>, an entirety of the height of the electronic device <NUM> traverses the liquid dispersing device <NUM> in order to maximize its efficiency.

As best shown in <FIG>, in this embodiment, the cart <NUM> comprises a collecting bin <NUM> for receiving immersion cooling liquid that is removed from the electronic device <NUM>. In this embodiment, the liquid dispersing device <NUM> is fluidly connected to the collecting bin <NUM> to route the immersion cooling liquid aspirated from the electronic device <NUM> to the collecting bin <NUM> via a conduit (not shown) that extends from the liquid dispersing device <NUM> to the collecting bin <NUM>. Moreover, while the nozzle <NUM> helps to limit the spread of the immersion cooling liquid, any immersion cooling liquid that is not stopped by the nozzle <NUM> could be collected by the collecting bin <NUM>. For instance, in this example, the collecting bin <NUM> is disposed below the nozzle <NUM> and the container <NUM> to receive any immersion cooling liquid from above. A filter may be disposed atop the collecting bin <NUM> (and within the conduit fluidly connecting the liquid dispersing device <NUM> to the collecting bin <NUM>) such that impurities contained in immersion cooling liquid are filtered out before the immersion cooling liquid enters the collecting bin <NUM>. Immersion cooling liquid collected in the collecting bin <NUM> may be re-used and redirected in the container <NUM> or in another container.

As mentioned above, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, the liquid dispersing device <NUM> could be a blower rather than an aspirator. In such embodiments, the air flow generated by the liquid dispersing device <NUM> causes the immersion cooling liquid to be blown off from the electronic device <NUM> towards the container <NUM>. The collecting bin <NUM> would thus be positioned below the container <NUM> to receive any immersion cooling liquid that is blown off but does not enter the container <NUM>.

Returning now to <FIG>, in this embodiment, at operation <NUM>, the method <NUM> further comprises, after lifting the electronic device <NUM> out of the container <NUM>, reorienting the electronic device <NUM>. Notably, as shown in <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> is retrieved from the container <NUM> in a generally upright vertical orientation. However, the operator preferably performs maintenance on the electronic device <NUM> with the electronic device <NUM> in a generally horizontal orientation (approximately <NUM>° from the vertical orientation). Therefore, in order to reorient the electronic device <NUM> after it is lifted out of the container <NUM>, in this embodiment, the controller <NUM> controls the control arm <NUM> to grasp the extracted electronic device <NUM> in the vertical orientation shown in <FIG> and rotate it about at least one axis to place the electronic device <NUM> in the horizontal orientation. In order for the connection of the lifting device <NUM> to the electronic device <NUM> not to impede the movement of the electronic device <NUM> by the control arm <NUM>, in this embodiment, the motor <NUM> is controlled such as to allow free rotation of the pulley <NUM>. It is contemplated that, in alternative embodiments, the control arm <NUM> may be omitted and the operator may manually grasp and reorient the electronic device <NUM> once the electronic device <NUM> has been lifted out of the container <NUM>.

Next, at operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> is placed on the operation platform <NUM> to allow the operator to perform maintenance on the electronic device <NUM> on the operation platform <NUM>. More specifically, in this embodiment, the control arm <NUM> positions the electronic device <NUM> on the operation platform <NUM> in the horizontal orientation as shown in dashed lines in <FIG>. In this embodiment, once the electronic device <NUM> is placed on the operation platform <NUM>, the operator disconnects the electronic device <NUM> from the attaching member <NUM> and the operator can then freely perform maintenance on the electronic device <NUM>. It is contemplated that, in alternative embodiments where the control arm <NUM> is omitted, the operator may manually place the electronic device <NUM> on the operation platform <NUM>. Once maintenance is concluded, the electronic device <NUM> can be placed back into the container <NUM>. Immersion cooling liquid from the collecting bin <NUM> may be used to fill the container <NUM> as the container <NUM> could have lost a small amount of immersion cooling liquid during extraction of the electronic device <NUM>.

As an example, <FIG> is a schematic block diagram of the controller <NUM> of the extraction system <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present technology. The controller <NUM> comprises a processor or a plurality of cooperating processors (represented as a processor <NUM> for simplicity), a memory device or a plurality of memory devices (represented as a memory device <NUM> for simplicity), and an input/output interface <NUM> allowing the controller <NUM> to communicate with other components of the extraction system <NUM> and/or other components in remote communication with the extraction system <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is operatively connected to the memory device <NUM> and to the input/output interface <NUM>. The memory device <NUM> includes a storage for storing parameters <NUM>, including for example and without limitation the above-mentioned pre-defined speed of extraction of the electronic device <NUM>. The memory device <NUM> may comprise a non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing code instructions <NUM> that are executable by the processor <NUM> to allow the controller <NUM> to perform the various tasks allocated to the controller <NUM> in the method <NUM>.

The controller <NUM> is operatively connected, via the input/output interface <NUM>, to the lifting device <NUM>, the liquid dispersing device <NUM> and the control arm <NUM>. The controller <NUM> executes the code instructions <NUM> stored in the memory device <NUM> to implement the various above-described functions that may be present in a particular embodiment. <FIG> as illustrated represents a non-limiting embodiment in which the controller <NUM> orchestrates operations of the control arm <NUM>, the liquid dispersing device <NUM> and the lifting device <NUM>. This particular embodiment is not meant to limit the present disclosure and is provided for illustration purposes.

Claim 1:
An extraction system (<NUM>) for extracting an electronic device (<NUM>) from a container (<NUM>) filled with an immersion cooling liquid, the extraction system (<NUM>) comprising:
means (<NUM>) for lifting the electronic device (<NUM>) from an open end (<NUM>) of the container (<NUM>); and
means (<NUM>) for dispersing immersion cooling liquid from the electronic device (<NUM>) by generating an air flow,
the extraction system (<NUM>) being characterized in that the extraction system (<NUM>) also comprises:
a nozzle (<NUM>) configured to be positioned above the open end (<NUM>) of the container (<NUM>) to limit a spread of immersion cooling liquid caused by the air flow.