ISO 6487-2015 PDF

Full title and description

St ISO 6487-2015 — Road vehicles — Measurement techniques in impact tests — Instrumentation. This International Standard specifies requirements and gives recommendations for measurement techniques and instrumentation used in impact (crash) tests on road vehicles and vehicle subassemblies, with the aim of improving comparability of results between test laboratories.

Abstract

ISO 6487:2015 provides mandatory requirements and non‑mandatory recommendations covering the instrumentation chain used in impact testing (sensors, accelerometers, load cells, data acquisition systems, signal conditioning, sampling and filtering, timing/synchronization and documentation). Optical measurement methods are excluded (they are covered separately by ISO 8721). The standard supports consistent measurement practice and reporting so results from different laboratories can be compared.

General information

• Status: Published (International Standard; under review for revision as of ISO lifecycle).
• Publication date: 2015 (ISO lists publication month/year as 2015-08).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 43.020 (Road vehicles / vehicle engineering).
• Edition / version: Edition 6 (ISO 6487:2015); amended by ISO 6487:2015/Amd 1:2017.
• Number of pages: 17 pages (main document).

Scope

ISO 6487:2015 applies to instrumentation used in impact tests on road vehicles and vehicle subassemblies. It covers performance and verification aspects of sensors and data acquisition systems, measurement channel characteristics (range, sensitivity, frequency response), sampling and anti‑alias filtering, timing and synchronization, calibration and traceability, and reporting of measurement uncertainty and test conditions. Optical measurement techniques are explicitly excluded from this document and are addressed in ISO 8721.

Key topics and requirements

• Definitions and general requirements for instrumentation used in impact tests (sensors, mounts, cabling).
• Sensor performance: sensitivity, linearity, range, cross‑axis sensitivity and frequency response.
• Data acquisition requirements: sampling rate selection, resolution, anti‑alias filtering and signal conditioning.
• Timing and synchronization: methods to ensure time alignment of channels and events.
• Calibration, verification and traceability: calibration intervals, procedures and documentation to support result comparability.
• Reporting and metadata: required information about instrumentation, channel identification, filters applied and uncertainty to accompany test results.

Typical use and users

Used by vehicle crash test laboratories, automotive OEM test engineers, component suppliers, regulatory bodies, academic and research institutions involved in vehicle safety testing, and test equipment manufacturers. The standard is applied when setting up instrumentation chains, creating test procedures, performing calibration and documenting measurement results for impact tests.

Related standards

Key related documents include ISO 8721 (optical instrumentation for impact tests) and the series of ISO/TS documents for multimedia and data exchange (for example ISO/TS 13499). Earlier and related editions of ISO 6487 (e.g., 2012 and earlier) and the 2017 amendment (ISO 6487:2015/Amd 1:2017) are also part of the normative history. These documents are maintained by ISO/TC 22/SC 36 (road vehicles, impact testing subcommittee).

Keywords

impact tests, crash testing, instrumentation, sensors, accelerometers, data acquisition, sampling rate, anti‑alias filter, calibration, traceability, vehicle safety, ISO 6487.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 6487:2015 is an ISO International Standard that specifies requirements and gives recommendations for instrumentation and measurement techniques used in road‑vehicle impact (crash) tests, to make measurement results comparable between laboratories.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers sensor and data acquisition performance (range, sensitivity, frequency response), sampling and filtering, timing/synchronization, calibration and reporting of measurement metadata and uncertainty. Optical methods are excluded and covered by ISO 8721.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Automotive crash test laboratories, OEM and supplier test engineers, safety researchers, and test‑equipment vendors — essentially anyone responsible for acquiring, validating or reporting measurement data from vehicle impact tests.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO 6487:2015 is the current published edition (2015) and was amended in 2017 (ISO 6487:2015/Amd 1:2017). ISO indicates the standard is under periodic review (standard lifecycle status indicates review/revision activity). Users should check national/ISO catalogues for any later replacements or revisions.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 6487 belongs to the family of ISO documents on measurement techniques in impact tests maintained by ISO/TC 22/SC 36; related standards cover optical instrumentation (ISO 8721) and multimedia/data exchange formats for impact tests (ISO/TS 13499).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: impact test instrumentation, accelerometer, data acquisition, sampling, filtering, calibration, vehicle crash testing, measurement uncertainty.