Battery module having improved cooling structure

1. A battery module comprising:

a pouch cell laminate comprising a first pouch cell and a second pouch cell located adjacent to the first pouch cell, each pouch cell comprising:

an accommodation portion for containing an electrode assembly, the accommodation portion having a top wall, a bottom wall and a sidewall, the sidewall forming an outer circumference of the accommodation portion;

a sealing portion extending outwardly from the outer circumference of the accommodation portion; and

an electrode lead extending outwardly from the sealing portion;

a first cooling fin having such a size and a shape to contact and surround the sidewall forming the outer circumference of the accommodation portion and contacts the sealing portion of each of the first pouch cell and the second pouch cell; and

a cooling plate located on one side of the pouch cell laminate and configured to contact the first cooling fin perpendicularly to a planar direction of the first cooling fin,

wherein the first cooling fin has a first side, a second side, a first end and a second end,

wherein each pouch cell comprises two electrode leads that extend outwardly from the sealing portion at opposite ends of each pouch cell that correspond to the first end and the second end of the first cooling fin,

wherein the cooling plate directly contacts the first side of the first cooling fin and the cooling plate does not overlap the two electrode leads that extend outward from the sealing portion.

2. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the first cooling fin is composed of an aluminum material.

3. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the top wall of the accommodation portion of the first pouch cell and the bottom wall of the accommodation portion of the second pouch cell are in contact with each other.

4. The battery module of claim 1 , further comprising a third pouch cell, the third pouch cell comprising an accommodation portion for containing an electrode assembly, the accommodation portion having a top wall, a bottom wall and a sidewall, the sidewall forming an outer circumference of the accommodation portion and a sealing portion extending outwardly from the outer circumference of the accommodation portion; and

a second cooling fin, the second cooling fin contacting and surrounding the sidewall forming the outer circumference of the accommodation portion and contacts the sealing portion of each of the second pouch cell and the third pouch cell.

5. The battery module of claim 4 , wherein the second cooling fin has a first side, a second side, a first end and a second end, and

wherein the cooling plate directly contacts the first side of the second cooling fin.

6. The battery module of claim 4 , wherein the first cooling fin simultaneously surrounds the sidewalls forming the outer circumferences of the accommodating portions of the first pouch cell and the second pouch cell, and

wherein the second cooling fin simultaneously surrounds the sidewalls forming the outer circumferences of the accommodating portions of the second pouch cell and the third pouch cell.

7. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the sealing portion of each pouch cell has a width, and

wherein a width of the first cooling fin is equal to a width of each pouch cell.

8. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the sealing portion and the two electrode leads extend further outwardly from the first cooling fin only from the first end and the second end, and not from the first side and the second side.

9. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the first cooling fin simultaneously surrounds the sidewalls forming the outer circumferences of the accommodating portions of the first pouch cell and the second pouch cell.