P&ID Library Generation Using LLM Annotation and Typical Matching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Creating Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process due to the complexity of accurately representing process equipment and their interconnections, requiring deep understanding and multiple revisions to ensure accuracy and compliance with industry standards, and the challenge of combining standard configurations of equipment and instrumentation.

Innovation Solution

A system using Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate P&IDs from functional requirements, leveraging a database of annotated P&IDs, and employing few-shot prompting and capability matching to automate the annotation process, reducing the need for manual modeling and increasing the degree of automation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If manual methods are used to create P&IDs, then accuracy and compliance with industry standards can be ensured through deep understanding and multiple revisions, but the process becomes labor-intensive and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of P&IDVSAvoidcreation speed of P&ID
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-annotating P&ID databases with structured information about equipment, instruments, and connections before the actual P&ID creation process. This preprocessing enables the LLM to quickly retrieve and assemble accurate components without manual analysis during the creation phase, thus maintaining accuracy while improving productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates standardized templates and reusable components from existing annotated P&IDs in the database. These copied templates represent proven, compliant configurations that can be rapidly instantiated and modified, ensuring accuracy through replication of validated designs while dramatically reducing creation time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Stability of the object's composition

If companies create and maintain a database of common sub-systems (typicals) to simplify P&ID creation, then consistency and adherence to standards are improved, but identifying and combining the required sub-systems remains challenging and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconsistency of P&IDVSAvoidcomplexity of selecting sub-systems
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The LLM analyzes the process description and provides feedback about which sub-systems from the database are relevant, then iteratively refines the selection by checking against functional requirements. This feedback loop automates the complex selection process while maintaining consistency with company standards through structured querying of the annotated database.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces the manual mechanical process of searching, identifying, and combining sub-systems with an automated LLM-based information processing system. The LLM naturally language interface substitutes for complex search and selection mechanisms, automatically matching process requirements with appropriate sub-systems from the database.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Extent of automation

If manual annotation of P&IDs in the database is performed, then the database can support automated P&ID generation, but tremendous efforts from domain experts are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation capability of P&ID generationVSAvoidtime for annotating P&IDs
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service annotation by using the LLM to automatically extract and annotate equipment, instruments, and connection information directly from unstructured P&ID images or existing documentation. This eliminates the need for manual expert annotation while still creating the structured database required for automated P&ID generation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Manual expert annotation is replaced with automated optical character recognition (OCR) and natural language processing techniques. The LLM processes unstructured P&ID content and automatically generates structured annotations, substituting the manual mechanical annotation process with automated information extraction and classification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP4657306A1Method and arrangement for generating a piping and instrumentation diagram library
Publication Date: 2025.12.03 SIEMENS AG
  • EP4657306A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4657306A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4657306A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for generating a Piping and Instrumentation Diagram-, "P&ID"-, library, in particular for building a P&ID representing a process, in particular industrial process, to be established, whereby said "P&ID"-, library is generated in such a manner that at least part of its data is applicable to train at least one LLM. It also relates to an arrangement for carrying out the method, a computer-program product and a provisioning device.