IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,602,025
Granted Patent B2
US 12,602,025 · App. 18/462,626 · Granted Apr 14, 2026

Industrial automation design environment prompt engineering for generative AI

Inventors: Anthony Carrara (Strongsville, OH); Rahul P. Patel (Aurora, OH); Ashish Anand (Aurora, OH); Adam J. Gregory (Oak Creek, WI); Justin Wengatz (North Ridgeville, OH); Daniel T. Richter (Hudson, OH); Omar A. Bahader (Solon, OH); Lorenzo Majewski (Waukesha, WI); Fabiano Fernandes (Solon, OH); Srdjan Josipovic (Pompano Beach, FL)
Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
G05B19/408G05B19/4063G05B19/409
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,602,025
App. No.
18/462,626
Granted
Apr 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An integrated development environment (IDE) for designing, programming, and configuring aspects of an industrial automation system uses a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model and associated neural networks to generate portions of an industrial automation project in accordance with functional requirements provided to the industrial IDE system in intuitive formats, such as spoken or written plain language text. The system uses generative AI to translate plain language requests or functional specifications into industrial control code, human-machine interface (HMI) applications, device configuration settings, or other aspects of an industrial control project.

Claims (52)

1 . A system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable components and a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model that has been trained using training data comprising at least one of industrial control code samples, industrial standards data, or industrial protocol data; and

a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising:

a user interface component configured to render a chat interface configured to receive an industrial design request formatted as plain language input data;

a prompt enhancement component configured to infer the industrial design request based on analysis of the plain language input data and modify the plain language input data to yield an enhanced prompt configured to prompt the generative AI model to formulate an industrial design output that satisfies the industrial design request; and

a generative artificial intelligence (AI) component configured to:

determine, based on generative AI analysis performed by the generative AI model in response to the enhanced prompt, at least one of a type of industrial control application or an industrial vertical for which the industrial design output is being requested, and

generate the industrial design output based on the generative AI analysis,

wherein

the industrial design output is at least one of industrial control code or a human machine interface (HMI) application, and

the generative AI component generates the industrial design output to conform to one or more industrial safety standards or control programming standards determined to be applicable to the type of industrial control application or the industrial vertical.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the prompt enhancement component is configured to

infer the industrial design request based on analysis of archived chat exchanges with the generative AI model determined to have been initiated by queries similar to the plain language input data, and a determination of types of industrial design output that were generated as a result of the archived chat sessions, and

generate the enhanced prompt to prompt the generative AI model for the types of industrial design output.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the enhanced prompt is configured to prompt the generative AI model for a type of industrial design output that is not explicitly specified in the plain language input data.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the prompt enhancement component is configured to add, to the enhanced prompt, contextual information determined to be relevant to the industrial design request.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the prompt enhancement component is configured to retrieve the contextual information from at least one of a vendor knowledgebase or device documentation for an industrial device determined to be relevant to the industrial design request.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the prompt enhancement component is configured to, in response to determining that the plain language input data contains insufficient information for inferring the industrial design request, determine additional information required to infer the industrial design request based on generative AI analysis of the plain language input data using the generative AI model, and render, via the chat interface, a plain language prompt for the additional information.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the prompt enhancement component is configured to formulate a wording of the plain language prompt based on a level of expertise of a user inferred based on analysis of the plain language input data.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plain language input data specifies at least one of the type of industrial control application or industrial vertical for which the industrial design output is being requested, a vendor or model of an industrial controller on which the industrial control code will be executed, an identity of a machine of an automation system to be monitored and controlled by the industrial control code, an indication of a performance metric of the automation system to be achieved by the industrial control code, an indication of a type of product or material to be manufactured by the automation system, or a programming language in which the industrial control code is to be formatted.

9 . A method, comprising:

rendering, by an industrial integrated development environment (IDE) system comprising a processor, a chat interface configured to receive an industrial design request formatted as plain language input data;

inferring, by the industrial IDE system, the industrial design request based on analysis of the plain language input data;

modifying, by the industrial IDE system, the plain language input data to yield an enhanced prompt configured to prompt a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model to formulate an industrial design output that satisfies the industrial design request, wherein the generative AI model is trained using training data comprising at least one of industrial control code samples, industrial standards data, or industrial protocol data;

determining, by the industrial IDE system based on generative AI analysis performed by the generative AI model in response to the enhanced prompt, at least one of a type of industrial control application or an industrial vertical for which the industrial design output is being requested; and

generating, by the industrial IDE system, the industrial design output based on the generative AI analysis, wherein

the industrial design output is at least one of industrial control code or a human machine interface (HMI) application, and

the generating comprises generating the industrial design output to conform to one or more industrial safety standards or control programming standards determined to be applicable to the type of industrial control application or the industrial vertical.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the plain language input data specifies at least one of the type of industrial control application or the industrial vertical for which the industrial design output is being requested, a vendor or model of an industrial controller on which the industrial control code will be executed, an identity of a machine of an automation system to be monitored and controlled by the industrial control code, an indication of a performance metric of the automation system to be achieved by the industrial control code, an indication of a type of product or material to be manufactured by the automation system, or a programming language in which the industrial control code is to be formatted.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the inferring comprises:

inferring the industrial design request based on analysis of archived chat exchanges with the generative AI model determined to have been initiated by queries similar to the plain language input data, and a determination of types of industrial design output that were generated as a result of the archived chat sessions, and

generating the enhanced prompt to prompt the generative AI model for the types of industrial design output.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the enhanced prompt is configured to prompt the generative AI model for a type of industrial design output that is not explicitly specified in the plain language input data.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the modifying comprises adding, to the enhanced prompt, contextual information determined to be relevant to the industrial design request.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising retrieving the contextual information from at least one of a vendor knowledgebase or device documentation for an industrial device determined to be relevant to the industrial design request.

15 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising, in response to determining that the plain language input data contains insufficient information for inferring the industrial design request:

determining, by the industrial IDE system, additional information required to infer the industrial design request based on generative AI analysis of the plain language input data using the generative AI model; and

rendering, by the industrial IDE system via the chat interface, a plain language prompt for the additional information.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the rendering of the plain language prompt comprises formulating a wording of the plain language prompt based on a level of expertise of a user inferred based on analysis of the plain language input data.

17 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause an industrial integrated development environment (IDE) system comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

rendering a chat interface configured to receive an industrial design request formatted as plain language input data;

inferring the industrial design request based on analysis of the plain language input data;

modifying the plain language input data to yield an enhanced prompt configured to prompt a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model to formulate an industrial design output that satisfies the industrial design request, wherein the generative AI model is trained using training data comprising at least one of industrial control code samples, industrial standards data, or industrial protocol data;

determining, by based on generative AI analysis performed by the generative AI model in response to the enhanced prompt, at least one of a type of industrial control application or an industrial vertical for which the industrial design output is being requested; and

generating the industrial design output based on the generative AI analysis, wherein

the industrial design output is at least one of industrial control code or a human machine interface (HMI) application, and

the generating comprises generating the industrial design output to conform to one or more industrial safety standards or control programming standards determined to be applicable to the type of industrial control application or the industrial vertical.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the modifying comprises adding, to the enhanced prompt, contextual information determined to be relevant to the industrial design request.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the enhanced prompt is configured to prompt the generative AI model for a type of industrial design output that is not explicitly specified in the plain language input data.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the inferring comprises:

inferring the industrial design request based on analysis of archived chat exchanges with the generative AI model determined to have been initiated by queries similar to the plain language input data, and a determination of types of industrial design output that were generated as a result of the archived chat sessions, and

generating the enhanced prompt to prompt the generative AI model for the types of industrial design output.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 7, 2023
From: CARRARA, ANTHONY; PATEL, RAHUL P.; ANAND, ASHISH; GREGORY, ADAM J.; WENGATZ, JUSTIN; RICHTER, DANIEL T.; BAHADER, OMAR A.; MAJEWSKI, LORENZO; FERNANDES, FABIANO; JOSIPOVIC, SRDJAN
To: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 064827/0150 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250085688A1 · Mar 13, 2025
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