Exploring LLM Support for Generating IEC 61131-3 Graphic Language Programs

Abstract: The capabilities demonstrated by LLMs inspire researchers to integrate them into industrial production and automation. In the field of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming, previous researchers have focused on using LLMs to generate Structured Text (ST) language, and created automatic programming workflows based on it. The IEC 61131 graphic programming languages, which still has the most users, have however been overlooked. In this paper we explore using LLMs to generate graphic languages in ASCII art to provide assistance to engineers. Our series of experiments indicate that, contrary to what researchers usually think, it is possible to generate a correct Sequential Function Chart (SFC) for simple requirements when LLM is provided with several examples. On the other hand, generating a Ladder Diagram (LD) automatically remains a challenge even for very simple use cases. The automatic conversion between LD and SFC without extra information also fails when using prompt engineering alone.