ISO 10604:2026

International
Standard
ISO 10604
Second edition
Road vehicles — Measuring
2026-01
procedure for aiming of luminous
beams of front lighting devices
Véhicules routiers — Procédure de mesure de l'orientation des
faisceaux lumineux des dispositifs d'éclairage avant
Reference number
© ISO 2026
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Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Test area plane . 3
5 Preparation of measurement . 3
5.1 Operation environment .3
5.2 Loading the vehicle .3
5.3 Checking the front lighting devices .4
5.4 Adjusting vehicle posture .4
5.5 Locating the vehicle .4
6 Measurement with a distant aiming screen . 4
6.1 Requirements for distant aiming screen.4
6.2 Measuring procedures . .5
7 Measurement with a MFTS . 7
7.1 Requirements of MFTS .7
7.1.1 General .7
7.1.2 Optical block .7
7.1.3 Supporting frame .8
7.1.4 Installation and alignment of MFTS .8
7.2 Measuring procedures . .8
7.2.1 Alignment of the MFTS .8
7.2.2 Measurement .9
7.2.3 Characteristic points .9
8 Photometric measurement . 9
8.1 Requirements for photometric measurement devices .9
8.2 Measuring procedures . .10
Annex A (informative) Validation method of MFTS .11
Bibliography .13

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Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO should not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any patent
rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on the ISO list of
patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
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constitute an endorsement.
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related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles, Subcommittee SC 35,
Lighting and visibility.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 10604:1993), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— change the title and scope: the first edition (ISO 10604:1993) was about the testing equipment and this
document is about the testing procedure;
— the testing procedure is clarified using the following methods: with movable front-lighting testing
system, and with a distant screen method.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv
International Standard ISO 10604:2026(en)
Road vehicles — Measuring procedure for aiming of luminous
beams of front lighting devices
1 Scope
This document specifies the procedure to measure or to verify the aiming of the luminous beams emitted by
the front lighting devices installed on road motor vehicles excluding mopeds and motorcycles.
This document prescribes the provisions specifying:
a) the test conditions and test area plane;
b) the preparation of the vehicle under test;
c) the procedure using equipment with a distant aiming screen;
d) the procedure using movable front-lighting testing system;
e) the photometric measurement.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 1176, Road vehicles — Masses — Vocabulary and codes
ISO/CIE 19476, Characterization of the performance of illuminance meters and luminance meters
CIE 244, Characterization of Imaging Luminance Measurement Devices (ILMDs)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
aiming screen
screen on which the luminous beam pattern from a front lighting device (3.4) can be observed
Note 1 to entry: An aiming screen can be a real surface (like a diffusing wall or plane of sufficient uniformity) directly
illuminated by the luminous beam (distant aiming screen), or a surface on which the luminous beam illuminates
through an optical lens (a screen within the equipment).

3.2
reference axis
axis of reference
characteristic axis of the lamp determined by the manufacturer (of the lamp) for use as the direction of
reference (H = 0°, V = 0°) for angles of field for photometric measurements and for installing the lamp on the
vehicle
3.3
centre of reference
intersection of the reference axis (3.2) with the exterior light-emitting surface
Note 1 to entry: It is specified by the lamp manufacturer.
3.4
front lighting device
headlamp (including passing-beam, driving-beam or both) or front fog lamp installed on road vehicles
3.5
inclination
upward or downward angle with regard to the reference axis (3.2) expressed by tangent in percentage
3.6
lateral deviation
lateral angle with regard to the reference axis (3.2) expressed by tangent in percentage
3.7
movable front-lighting testing system
MFTS
testing system, consisting of an optical block (3.8) and a supporting frame, capable of moving to the specified
position or position range opposite to a front lighting device (3.4) to perform the aiming measurement
3.8
optical block
device focusing and detecting the luminous beam of a front lighting device (3.4) on an imaging aiming screen
(3.1), and allowing positioning of the reference axis (3.2) and a vertical and horizontal displacement
3.9
reference plane
plane characterizing the test area
3.10
screen reference point
intersecting point on the aiming screen (3.1) of a light ray parallel to the vehicle direction (3.12) originating
from the reference centre of the front lighting device (3.4) under test
3.11
test area plane
delimited area on which the vehicles are placed to measure or to verify the aiming of the luminous beams
emitted by front lighting devices (3.4)
3.12
vehicle direction
direction parallel to the reference plane (3.9) and to the median longitudinal plane of the vehicle standing on
the test area plane (3.11)
3.13
stabilisation time
time that is required for the front lighting devices (3.4) to obtain stable photometric output and electrical
power with constant electrical input

4 Test area plane
4.1 The minimum dimension of the test area plane should be 8,5 m by 2,3 m. For passenger cars (M1), the
minimum length may be 4,0m.
4.2 The whole range of the test area plane shall be sufficiently level in order not to deviate from the
reference plane by more than the following tolerances:
— the plane shall be situated between two limiting planes opening out in the form of a wedge with gradients
of no more than 2 mm/m;
— the maximum slope of the reference plane (longitudinally as well as laterally) shall not be larger than
0,1 %.
4.3 The rigidity of the test area plane shall be sufficient to ensure that it stays within the tolerances when
the heaviest vehicles are placed on the test area plane.
Figure 1 shows an example of test area plane.
Dimensions in metres
Figure 1 — Example of test area plane
5 Preparation of measurement
5.1 Operation environment
The measurement should be conducted under the following ambient environmental conditions:
a) the ambient temperature: between 0 °C and 40 °C;
b) the relative humidity: lower than 85 %;
c) when testing with a distant aiming screen, the test ambient illuminance should be no more than 10 lx.
5.2 Loading the vehicle
Unload the vehicle and fill the fuel tank (including hydrogen on hydrogen-powered vehicles) to attain the
complete vehicle kerb mass as specified in ISO 1176.

The vehicle shall be replenished with water and lubricants and shall have all accessories and tools as
specified by the manufacturer.
Ensure the driver's seat is in the centre position and place a 75 kg dummy or equivalent weight on the seat.
Except for semi-trailers, disconnect any trailer.
Remove any excessive accumulation of mud, snow or ice.
5.3 Checking the front lighting devices
Confirm that the front lighting devices are clean and dry.
Disable either the adaptive front lighting or auto switching function, or both.
Initialize the levelling devices for luminous beam before measurement.
Ensure the power supply voltage of the front lighting device matches the vehicle's driving conditions.
5.4 Adjusting vehicle posture
A vehicle with auto levelling devices needs automatic adjustment on a horizontal road.
Bring a vehicle with adjustable suspension and seat corrector to the normal on-road driving posture.
Set any levelling devices to the ’0’-position.
Vehicle tyres shall not be worn and shock absorbers shall be in normal condition.
Check the tyres and inflate them to the pressure prescribed by the vehicle manufacturer for normal driving
conditions on the road.
Ensure the spare tyre and accompanying tools are in vehicle’s normal position.
For vehicles in public or commercial use that have cargo that is generally located in the vehicle when driven,
the vehicle should be left with this cargo in its normal location in the vehicle.
5.5 Locating the vehicle
Position the vehicle on the test plane, ensuring that the longitudinal vehicle axis is perpendicular to the
aiming screen.
The angular deviation of reference axes can be analysed by the inspection of the longitudinal axis of the
vehicle. Image recognition of the vehicle body, the centre of wheels, or laser parallel to the longitudinal axis
can be applied, or any combination thereof.
6 Measurement with a distant aiming screen
6.1 Requirements for distant aiming screen
A wall or panel approximately perpendicular, with a tolerance of ±1 %, to the reference plane may be used as
an aiming screen, provided that it satisfies the following conditions.
a) In order to observe the luminous beams on the screen clearly, the reflecti
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