Patent Publication Number: US-2023145494-A1

Title: Electrochemical apparatus and electric apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2020/099930, filed on Jul. 2, 2020, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This application relates to an electrochemical apparatus and an electric apparatus. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electrochemical apparatuses can be charged and discharged, and have been widely applied to fields such as consumer products, digital products, power products, medicine, and security. A process for extending an electrode in the existing electrochemical apparatus is as follows: A through hole is firstly disposed in a side wall of a housing, then an electrode is disposed in the through hole and sealed with an insulation pad, an end, located inside the housing, of the electrode is electrically connected to a tab, and the other end of the electrode is outside the housing and is configured to be connected to an external electronic device. Such sealing structure occupies large internal space of the electrochemical apparatus, which causes a large loss for energy density of the electrochemical apparatus. In addition, the sealing structure is complex, needs costly process, and has low reliability. 
     SUMMARY 
     This application is intended to resolve at least one of the technical problems in the prior art. In view of this, an aspect of this application provides an electrochemical apparatus, where a notch is provided in a housing of the electrochemical apparatus to extend a tab, and a side edge of the notch is non-vertical with respect to a bottom edge of the notch, which allows a sealing material in the notch to be better compressed, thereby ensuring a simple and reliable sealing structure. 
     The electrochemical apparatus in this embodiment of this application includes an electrode assembly and a housing for accommodating the electrode assembly, where the housing includes a first housing body and a second housing body fixedly connected to the first housing body, at least one of the first housing body or the second housing body is provided with a notch, and a side edge of the notch is non-vertical with respect to a bottom edge of the notch; and the electrode assembly includes a tab, where the tab protrudes out from the notch to outside the housing, and the notch is filled with a sealing material. 
     In some embodiments, the sealing material includes any one of polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyamide, polystyrene, fluorine rubber, or soluble polytetrafluoroethylene. 
     In some embodiments, the housing further includes a sealing auxiliary member, the sealing auxiliary member includes a butting portion, and the butting portion is located at a corner of the notch and is configured to butt against the sealing material in a corner region at the top of the notch. 
     In some embodiments, the sealing auxiliary member and the housing are an integral structure or separate structures. 
     In some embodiments, one of a wall of the notch or the sealing material is provided with a boss and the other is provided with a recess, where the boss fits into the recess. 
     In some embodiments, the first housing body is a top cover of the housing, and the second housing body includes a side wall and a bottom wall connected to the side wall. 
     In some embodiments, the butting portion is disposed at the top cover, and the notch is disposed in the side wall. 
     In some embodiments, the side wall is provided with a step portion, and the step portion is configured to support the top cover. 
     In some embodiments, the side wall is provided with a first step portion, the top cover is provided with a second step portion corresponding to the first step portion, and the first housing body and the second housing body are connected via the first step portion and the second step portion to form the housing. 
     In some embodiments, the first housing body is provided with a first notch, the second housing body is provided with a second notch corresponding to the first notch, and the first notch and the second notch together form the notch. 
     In some embodiments, a boss is disposed at a bottom surface of the first notch and/or the second notch, and the sealing material is provided with a recess corresponding to the boss, where the boss fits into the recess. 
     In some embodiments, a recess is disposed at a bottom surface of the first notch and/or the second notch, and the sealing material is provided with a boss corresponding to the recess, where the boss fits into the recess. 
     In some embodiments, the first housing body includes a first side wall and a first bottom wall connected to the first side wall, and the second housing body includes a second side wall and a second bottom wall connected to the second side wall. 
     In some embodiments, the first side wall is provided with a first step portion, the second side wall is provided with a second step portion corresponding to the first step portion, and the first housing body and the second housing body are connected via the first step portion and the second step portion to form the housing. 
     In some embodiments, the notch is a trapezoid in shape. 
     In some embodiments, the housing further includes a third housing body, where the first housing body is a top cover of the housing, the second housing body is a side wall of the housing, the third housing body is a bottom cover of the housing, and the first housing body, the second housing body, and the third housing body are sequentially connected to form the housing. 
     In some embodiments, a high-temperature protection material is filled between the wall of the notch and the sealing material, and the tab, the sealing material, and the high-temperature protection material form an m-layer structure in the notch, where an outermost layer of the structure is the high-temperature protection material, and m is a positive integer greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 10. 
     In some embodiments, a melting point of the high-temperature protection material is greater than or equal to 300° C. 
     In some embodiments, the protection material includes any one of steel alloy, aluminum alloy, iron alloy, copper alloy, liquid crystalline polymer, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyimide, acrylonitrile -butadiene- styrene copolymer, polycarbonate, polyamide, or polystyrene. 
     In some embodiments, the first housing body is fixedly connected to the second housing body vertically or horizontally. 
     In some embodiments, the first housing body is fixedly connected to the second housing body by at least one of gluing, heat sealing, or welding. 
     In some embodiments, the first housing body and the second housing body are both made of plastic. 
     In some embodiments, the plastic is any one of liquid crystalline polymer, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyimide, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polycarbonate, or polyamide. 
     In some embodiments, the electrode assembly includes two tabs, and the two tabs both protrude out from the notch to outside the housing. 
     In some embodiments, the electrode assembly includes a cathode plate, an anode plate, a separator, and two tabs, where the separator is disposed between the cathode plate and the anode plate, and the two tabs are respectively electrically connected to a cathode current collector of the cathode plate and an anode current collector of the anode plate. 
     In some embodiments, the two tabs protrude out from a same side of the housing, or the two tabs protrude out from different sides of the housing. 
     In some embodiments, the step portion, the first step portion, and the second step portion are all L-shaped. 
     Another aspect of this application provides an electric apparatus, including an electrochemical apparatus. The electrochemical apparatus includes an electrode assembly and a housing for accommodating the electrode assembly, where the housing includes a first housing body and a second housing body fixedly connected to the first housing body, at least one of the first housing body or the second housing body is provided with a notch, and a side edge of the notch is non-vertical with respect to a bottom edge of the notch; and the electrode assembly includes a tab, where the tab protrudes out from the notch to outside the housing, and the notch is filled with a sealing material. 
     Based on the electrochemical apparatus in the embodiments of this application, the notch with the side edge non-vertical with respect to the bottom edge is provided in the housing of the electrochemical apparatus to extend the tab. Because the side edge of the notch is arranged to be non-vertical with respect to the bottom edge of the notch, when the first housing body and the second housing body are fitted together, vertical pressure applied to the sealing material is transferred to the non-vertical edge of the notch, which in turn generates component forces vertical to the non-vertical edge. Because of principles of an acting force and a counter-acting force, the non-vertical edge also applies to the sealing material a pressure in a direction perpendicular to the non-vertical edge, thereby improving sealing reliability of the sealing material in the notch. Such sealing structure is simple and highly reliable, occupies small space, and can also increase the energy density of the electrochemical apparatus. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become obviously easy to understand based on the description of the embodiments with reference to the following drawings. 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochemical apparatus according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic structural diagram of an electrode assembly according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  3 A  is a schematic structural diagram of a notch according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  3 B  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a notch according to another embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  4    is an enlarged partial schematic diagram of a notch filled with a sealing material according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  5 A  is a schematic structural diagram of a cross section of a first housing body according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  5 B  is a schematic structural diagram of a cross section of a first housing body according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  5 C  is a schematic structural diagram of a cross section of a first housing body according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  6    is a schematic structural diagram of separate structures formed by a sealing auxiliary member and a housing according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  7    is a schematic structural diagram of a first housing body and a second housing body being connected vertically according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic structural diagram of an integral structure formed by a sealing auxiliary member and a housing according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  9    is a schematic structural diagram of a notch provided with a recess on a bottom surface according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  10    is a schematic structural diagram of a notch provided with a boss on a bottom surface according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  11    is a schematic structural diagram of a first housing body and a second housing body being connected vertically according to another embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  12    is a schematic structural diagram of only a second housing body being provided with an L-shaped step portion according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  13    is a schematic structural diagram of both a first housing body and a second housing body being provided with an L-shaped step portion according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  14    is a schematic structural diagram of a first housing body and a second housing body being connected horizontally according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  15    is a schematic structural diagram of a first housing body and a second housing body being connected horizontally according to another embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  16    is a cross-sectional view of a structure formed by a sealing material and a cathode tab according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  17    is a cross-sectional view of a structure formed by a sealing material, a high-temperature protection material, and a cathode tab according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  18    is a schematic structural diagram of a cathode tab and an anode tab protruding out from different sides of a housing according to an embodiment of this application; 
         FIG.  19    is a schematic structural diagram of an anode tab and a cathode tab protruding out from a same side of a housing according to an embodiment of this application; and 
         FIG.  20    is a schematic diagram of modules in an electric apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE SIGNS OF MAIN ELEMENTS 
     Electrode assembly  10 , housing  20 , sealing material  30 , high-temperature protection material  40 , electrochemical apparatus  100 , cathode tab  101 , anode tab  102 , cathode plate  103 , anode plate  104 , separator  105 , first housing body  201 , second housing body  202 , sealing auxiliary member  203 , notch  220 , electric apparatus  200 , side wall  2020 , bottom wall  2022 , first side wall  2010 , first bottom wall  2012 , second side wall  2024 , second bottom wall  2026 , butting portion  2030 , recess  2201 , side edge  2202 , and boss  2203 . 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, and the same or similar reference signs indicate the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are examples and only used to explain this application, but cannot be construed as a limitation to this application. 
     An electrochemical apparatus  100  in this embodiment of this application is described in detail below with reference to  FIG.  1    to  FIG.  19   . 
     As shown in  FIG.  1    to  FIG.  4   , the electrochemical apparatus  100  in this embodiment of this application includes an electrode assembly  10  and a housing  20 . The electrode assembly  10  is accommodated in the housing  20 . As shown in  FIG.  2   , the electrode assembly  10  may include a cathode tab  101 , an anode tab  102 , a cathode plate  103 , an anode plate  104 , and a separator  105 . The separator  105  is disposed between the cathode plate  103  and the anode plate  104 , the cathode tab  101  is electrically connected to a cathode current collector of the cathode plate  103 , and the anode tab  102  is electrically connected to an anode current collector of the anode plate  104 . The electrode assembly may be a wound cell formed by the cathode plate  103 , the anode plate  104 , and the separator  105  through winding, or a laminated cell formed by the cathode plate  103 , the anode plate  104 , and the separator  105  through stacking. 
     In some embodiments, the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  may be made of an electrolyte-resistant conductive material, for example, steel alloy, aluminum alloy, iron alloy, copper alloy, or nickel alloy. The cathode current collector of the cathode plate  103  is aluminum foil, and the anode current collector of the anode plate  104  is copper foil. 
     In some embodiments, the cathode tab  101  may be electrically connected to the cathode current collector of the cathode plate  103  via welding or another connection method (for example, gluing with conductive glue), and the cathode tab  101  can also be formed by directly tailoring the cathode current collector of the cathode plate  103 . The anode tab  102  may be electrically connected to the anode current collector of the anode plate  104  via welding or another connection method (for example, gluing with conductive glue), or the anode tab  102  may be directly made from the anode current collector of the anode plate  104  through cutting. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1   , the housing  20  includes a first housing body  201  and a second housing body  202 . At least one of the first housing body  201  or the second housing body  202  is provided with a notch  220 . That is, the notch  220  may be provided only in the first housing body  201 ; the notch  220  may be provided only in the second housing body  202 ; or the notch  220  may be provided in both the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  (such disposing manner may be as follows: a first notch is provided in the first housing body  201 , a second notch is provided in the second housing body  202 , and the first notch and the second notch together form the notch  220 ). 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  3 A , a side edge  2202  of the notch  220  is inclined with respect to a bottom edge of the notch  220 , and the bottom edge of the notch  220  is substantially parallel to bottom walls  2022  of the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  (as shown in  FIG.  7   ). In this case, the side edge  2202  of the notch  220  is non-vertical with respect to the bottom edge of the notch. Both side edges  2202  of the notch  220  are inclined with respect to the bottom edge of the notch  220 . The side edges  2202  of the notch  220  may be oblique edges, curved edges, irregularly shaped edges, or the like. For example, as shown in  FIG.  3 A , the notch  220  is a trapezoid in shape, and the notch  220  includes two oblique edges.  FIG.  3 B  is a cross-sectional view of a notch  220 . The notch  220  includes two curved edges. 
     In another embodiment, the notch  220  may have only one side edge that is non-vertical with respect to the bottom edge of the notch. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1   , each of the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  may protrude out from one notch  220  to outside the housing  20 . In another embodiment, the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  may protrude out from a same notch  220  to outside the housing  20 . That is, when the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  protrude out from the same notch  220  to outside the housing  20 , the housing  20  needs to be provided with only one notch  220 ; or when each of the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  protrudes out from one notch  220  to outside the housing  20 , the housing  20  needs to be provided with two notches  220 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  4   , to isolate an inner cavity of the housing  20  from an outer surface of the housing  20  and ensure electrochemical stability of the electrode assembly  10  in the housing  20 , the notch  220  is also filled with a sealing material  30 . In the process of making the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  into a whole, for example, external pressure is applied to the first housing body  201  in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the notch  220 . In this case, the first housing body  201  is attached to the second housing body  202 . Then the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  are integrated by one or more of a gluing process, a heat sealing process, and a welding process. Because the side edge  2202  of the notch  220  is non-vertical with respect to the bottom edge of the notch  220 , when the external pressure is applied to the side edge  2202 , the external pressure can be decomposed into a first component force perpendicular to the side edge  2202  and a second component force parallel to the side edge  2202 , to compress the sealing material in two directions, thereby improving the compression effect and sealing reliability of the sealing material  30 . 
     In some embodiments, the sealing material  30  may be an elastic sealing material. The elastic sealing material optionally has the following material features: resistance to electrolyte corrosion, good medium resistance, oxidation resistance, aging resistance, high-temperature resistance, high material density, low air permeability, good insulation, material compressibility, and good mechanical performance and processing performance. The elastic sealing material may be selected from any one of polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyamide, polystyrene, fluorine rubber, or soluble polytetrafluoroethylene. 
     In some embodiments, the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  may be made through injection molding, machining, stamping, or other processing methods. Sizes of the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  can be set based on an actual design requirement of the electrochemical apparatus  100 , and are not limited herein. Both the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  are made of a plastic material. The plastic material is optionally a plastic material resistant to electrolyte, and may be selected from any one of liquid crystalline polymer, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyimide, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polycarbonate, or polyamide. The first housing body  201  is optionally the same as the second housing body  202  in cross-sectional shape. Cross sections of the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  may be circular, quadrilateral, arc, oval, triangular, polygonal (with more than four edges), irregularly shaped, or the like. As shown in  FIG.  5 A , the cross section of the housing  20  is circular. As shown in  FIG.  5 B , the cross section of the housing  20  is square. As shown in  FIG.  5 C , the cross section of the housing  20  is irregularly-shaped. 
     In some embodiments, in the process of making the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  into a whole, the elastic sealing material in the notch  220  can be tightly compressed (with a compression ratio of 10% to 40%). The compressed elastic sealing material can fill up the entire notch  220  so that the first housing body  201 , the second housing body  202 , the notch  220 , the tabs in the notch  220 , and the elastic sealing material form a sealed structure. 
     In some embodiments, the housing  20  is further formed by assembling three or more housing portions. For example, the housing  20  includes a first housing body, a second housing body, and a third housing body that are independent of one another, the first housing body is a top cover of the housing  20 , the second housing body is a side wall of the housing  20 , and the third housing body is a bottom cover of the housing  20 . The first housing body, the second housing body, and the third housing body are sequentially connected to form the housing  20 . For another example, the housing  20  includes a first housing body, a second housing body, a third housing body, and a fourth housing body that are independent of one another, the first housing body is a top cover of the housing  20 , the second housing body is a first side wall of the housing  20 , the third housing body is a second side wall of the housing  20 , and the fourth housing body is a bottom cover of the housing  20 . The first housing body, the second housing body, the third housing body, and the fourth housing body are sequentially connected to form the housing  20 . 
     In the electrochemical apparatus  100  in this embodiment of this application, a notch is provided in the housing for extending the tab, the notch is filled with a sealing material, and the side edge of the notch is non-vertical with respect to the bottom edge of the notch. This can improve the compression effect of the sealing material, makes the sealing structure simple and reliable, and occupies small space of the housing, thereby increasing energy density of the electrochemical apparatus. 
     As shown in  FIG.  6   , the housing  20  includes a first housing body  201 , a second housing body  202 , and a sealing auxiliary member  203 . The first housing body  201  is the top cover of the housing  20 , and the second housing body  202  includes a side wall  2020  and a bottom wall  2022  connected to the side wall  2020  (as shown in  FIG.  7   ). The side wall  2020  may be a circular side wall, a quadrangular side wall, a polygonal side wall (with more than four edges), an irregularly shaped side wall, or the like. The notch  220  is disposed in the side wall  2020  of the second housing body  202 , and the notch  220  may be a trapezoid in shape. Because the first housing body  201  is the top cover, the first housing body  201  is provided with no notch. The cathode tab  101  protrudes out from the notch  220  to outside the housing  20 , and the sealing material  30  (such as fluorine rubber) is disposed in the notch  220 . When the housing is being assembled, the first housing body  201  can butt against the sealing material  30  within the notch  220 . The first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  may be connected vertically. The sealing auxiliary member  203  and the housing  20  may be an integral structure or separate structures. As shown in  FIG.  6   , when the sealing auxiliary member  203  and the housing  20  are separate structures, the sealing auxiliary member  203  is independent of the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202 , and the number of sealing auxiliary members  203  is the same as the number of the notches  220 . As shown in  FIG.  8   , when the sealing auxiliary member  203  and the housing  20  are the integral structure, the sealing auxiliary member  203  in integrated on the first housing body  201 . 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  6   , the sealing auxiliary member  203  includes a butting portion  2030 , the butting portion  2030  is located at a corner of the notch  220 , and the butting portion  2030  is configured to butt against the sealing material  30  in a corner region at the top of the notch  220 . For example, as shown in  FIG.  8   , the butting portion  2030  is configured to butt against the sealing material  30  in corner regions β 1  and β 2  at the top of the notch  220 . 
     In some embodiments, length of the butting portion  2030  may be less than or equal to width of the notch  220  (that is, thickness of the side wall  2020 ). 
     In assembling the housing, the second housing body  202  can be placed and fastened on a platform fixture first, then the first housing body  201  is placed on the second housing body  202 , and external pressure is applied to the first housing body  201 . In this case, the first housing body  201  is attached to the second housing body  202 . Then the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  are integrated by one or more of a gluing process, a heat sealing process, or a welding process. In addition, the sealing material  30  (such as fluorine rubber) at the notch  220  is tightly compressed (with a compression ratio of up to 10% to 40%), and the compressed fluorine rubber can fill up the entire notch  220 , so as to isolate an inner cavity of the housing  20  from an outer surface of the housing  20  to ensure electrochemical stability of the electrode assembly  10  in the housing  20 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  9   , to improve sealing reliability of the sealing material  30 , a recess  2201  is provided in the bottom surface of the notch  220 , and a boss corresponding to the recess  2201  can be provided at the sealing material  30 . The boss fits into the recess  2201 , so that the sealing material  30  can be tightly filled in the notch  220  and a limiting structure is formed between the sealing material  30  and the notch  220 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  10   , to improve sealing reliability of the sealing material  30 , a boss  2203  may be further provided in the bottom surface of the notch  220 , and a recess corresponding to the boss  2203  can be provided at the sealing material  30 . The boss  2203  fits into the recess, so that the sealing material  30  can be tightly filled in the notch  220  and a limiting structure is formed between the sealing material  30  and the notch  220 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  11   , the housing  20  includes a first housing body  201  and a second housing body  202 . The first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  each include a side wall and a bottom wall connected to the side wall. Specifically, the first housing body  201  includes a first side wall  2010  and a first bottom wall  2012  connected to the first side wall  2010 , and the second housing body  202  includes a second side wall  2024  and a second bottom wall  2026  connected to the second side wall  2024 . In some embodiments, to allow the sealing material  30  to be tightly filled into the notch  220 , as shown in  FIG.  9    or  FIG.  10   , a boss or a recess may also be provided in the bottom surface of the notch  220 , and the sealing material  30  can also be provided with a boss corresponding to the recess, or a recess corresponding to the boss. 
     In some embodiments, when the first housing body  201  includes a side wall, the first housing body  201  may also be provided with a first notch, the second housing body  202  is provided with a second notch corresponding to the first notch, and the first notch and the second notch together form the notch  220 . For example, both the first notch and the second notch are trapezoidal notches. In assembling the housing, the second housing body  202  can be placed and fastened on a platform fixture first, then the first housing body  201  is placed on the second housing body  202 , with the first notch of the first housing body  201  aligned with the second notch of the second housing body, and then external pressure is applied to the first housing body  201 . In this case, the first housing body  201  is attached to the second housing body  202 . Finally, the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  are integrated by one or more of a gluing process, a heat sealing process, or a welding process. In addition, the sealing material  30  at the notch  220  is tightly compressed. 
     In some embodiments, to allow the sealing material  30  to be tightly filled into the notch  220 , recesses or bosses may be provided in the bottom surfaces of the first notch and the second notch. For example, recesses are provided in both the bottom surfaces of the first notch and the second notch, and the sealing material  30  is provided with bosses corresponding to the two recesses; bosses are provided in both the bottom surfaces of the first notch and the second notch, and the sealing material  30  is provided with recesses corresponding to the two bosses; or, a recess is provided in the bottom surface of one of the first notch and the second notch, a boss is provided in the bottom surface of the other one of the first notch and the second notch, and the sealing material  30  is provided with bosses and recesses corresponding to the recesses and the bosses. 
     In some embodiments, to improve sealing reliability of the sealing material  30 , a recess or a boss may be also provided in the bottom surface of one of the first notch and the second notch, and the sealing material  30  is provided with a boss or a recess corresponding to the recess and the boss. 
     As shown in  FIG.  12   , the housing  20  includes a first housing body  201  and a second housing body  202 . The first housing body  201  is the top cover of the housing  20 , and the second housing body  202  includes a side wall  2020  and a bottom wall  2022  connected to the side wall  2020 . The first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  are connected vertically. An L-shaped step portion L 1  is disposed on the side wall  2020  of the second housing body  202 . The L-shaped step portion L 1  is configured to support the first housing body  201 . 
     In some embodiments, the L-shaped step portion L 1  may include a first horizontal portion L 11 , a first vertical portion L 12 , and a second horizontal portion L 13 . The L-shaped step portion L 1  formed by the first horizontal portion L 11 , the first vertical portion L 12 , and the second horizontal part L 13  is in a one-step shape. 
     As shown in  FIG.  13   , the housing  20  includes a first housing body  201  and a second housing body  202 . The first housing body  201  is the top cover of the housing  20 , and the second housing body  202  includes a side wall  2020  and a bottom wall  2022  connected to the side wall  2020 . The first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  are connected vertically. A first L-shaped step portion L 1   a  is disposed on the first housing body  201 , and a second L-shaped step portion L 1   b  corresponding to the first L-shaped step portion L 1   a  is disposed on the second housing body  202 . The first L-shaped step portion L 1   a  is tenon jointed with the second L-shaped step portion L 1   b.    
     In some embodiments, the first L-shaped step portion L 1   a  and the second L-shaped step portion L 1   b  optionally include the same number of steps. The first L-shaped step portion L 1   a  and the second L-shaped step portion L 1   b  may be in a one-step shape, or a two-step or multiple-step shape. 
     In another embodiment, shapes of the step portions L 1 , L 1   a , and L 1   b  are not limited to the “L” shape, and may be other shapes with steps. 
     The housing  20  shown in  FIG.  14    has the same structure as the housing  20  shown in  FIG.  6   , except that the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  are connected horizontally. Details are not described herein again. 
     The housing  20  shown in  FIG.  15    has the same structure as the housing  20  shown in  FIG.  11   , except that the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  are connected horizontally. Details are not described herein again. 
     As shown in  FIG.  16   , taking the notch  220  including only the cathode tab  101  as an example for description, the sealing material  30  can be pre-processed through any one of the gluing process, the hot-melt process, the welding process, and the injection molding process, so as to form a structure on the cathode tab  101 , and then the structure is disposed in the notch  220 . In assembling the housing, the structure is tightly compressed to deform, and the compressed sealing material  30  can fill up the entire notch  220 , thereby isolating the inner cavity of the housing  20  from the outer surface of the housing  20 . 
     In some embodiments, to enhance rigidity of the sealing material  30  filled in the notch  220 , a reinforcing rib may also be disposed on the structure, and a shape of the reinforcing rib may be set according to an actual need. 
     As shown in  FIG.  17   , because the melting point of the sealing material is generally 150 degrees Celsius, in assembling the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  into the housing  20  through welding, to prevent high welding temperature from damaging the sealing material  30 , a structure composed of the sealing material  30  and the high-temperature protection material  40  may be formed on the cathode tab  101  in advance. A layer of high-temperature protection material  40  is applied to the outer surface of the sealing material  30 , to prevent the sealing material  30  from being damaged by the high temperature during welding. In assembling the housing, the structure is tightly compressed to deform, the compressed sealing material  30  can fill up the notch  220 , and the high-temperature protection material  40  is filled between a wall of the notch  220  and the sealing material  30 , to prevent the sealing material  30  from being damaged by the high temperature during welding. Because in the process of assembling the first housing body  201  and the second housing body  202  into the housing  20  through welding, the welding temperature is nearly 300 degrees Celsius, a melting point of the high-temperature protection material  40  is optionally greater than or equal to 300 degrees Celsius. 
     In some embodiments, the high-temperature protection material  40  may be selected from any one of steel alloy, aluminum alloy, iron alloy, copper alloy, liquid crystalline polymer, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyimide, acrylonitrile-butadiene- styrene copolymer, polycarbonate, polyamide, or polystyrene. 
     In some embodiments, the cathode tab  101 , the sealing material  30 , and the high-temperature protection material  40  can form an m-layer structure, and a combination sequence of materials of different layers can be determined based on an actual need, but an outermost layer of the structure needs to be the high-temperature protection material  40 , where m is optionally a positive integer greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 10. For example, the cathode tab  101 , the sealing material  30 , and the high-temperature protection material  40  form a three-layer structure, where the first layer is the cathode tab  101 , the second layer is the sealing material  30 , and the third layer is the high-temperature protection material  40 . The cathode tab  101 , the sealing material  30 , and the-high temperature protection material  40  form a five-layer structure, where the first layer is the cathode tab  101 , the second layer is the sealing material  30 , the third layer is the high-temperature protection material  40 , the fourth layer is the sealing material  30 , and the fifth layer is the high-temperature protection material  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  18    and  FIG.  19   , when the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  do not share one notch  220 , the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  may protrude out from different sides of the housing  20 . 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1   , when the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  do not share one notch  220 , the cathode tab  101  and the anode tab  102  may alternatively protrude out from a same side of the housing  20 . 
     In addition, as shown in  FIG.  20   , this application also discloses an electric apparatus  200 , and the electric apparatus  200  includes the electrochemical apparatus  100  according to any one of the foregoing embodiments. The electric apparatus  200  may be an electric motorcycle, an electric bicycle, an electric tool, an electric vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a personal computer, or any other appropriate rechargeable devices. 
     In the descriptions of this application, it should be understood that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms “center”, “vertical”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “perpendicular”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “ radial”, “circumferential”, and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are merely intended to facilitate the descriptions of this application and simplify the descriptions, are not intended to indicate or imply that the apparatuses or components mentioned in this application must have specific orientations, or be constructed and operated for a specific orientation, and therefore shall not be construed as a limitation to this application. In the descriptions of this application, “a plurality of” means at least two. 
     In the description of this specification, the description referring to the terms “an embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “illustrative embodiments”, “an example”, “a specific example”, or “some examples” means a specific feature, structure, material or characteristic described with reference to the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the this application. In this specification, illustrative expressions of these terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. 
     Although the embodiments of this application have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variants of these embodiments may be made without departing from the principles and purposes of this application, and the scope of this application is limited by the claims and their equivalents.