Domestic appliance system of a room

Abstract

The invention relates to a household appliance system of a room (0) comprising a non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3), a UWB-capable device (4), and a UWB-capable mobile device (5) of a user (6), wherein the UWB-capable device (4) is configured and set up to identify the UWB-capable mobile device (5), to locate the UWB-capable mobile device (5) relative to itself, preferably by means of distance and angle, in the room (0), and to determine the current position (B) of the user (6) based on the user's UWB-capable mobile device (5) relative to the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) in the room (0), and wherein the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) is configured and set up to perform user-specific operation if the user (6) is in a predetermined proximity to the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) in the room (0).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a household appliance system of a room.

[0002] Household appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers, washer-dryers, wet vacuum cleaners, vacuum cleaners, and the like have long been known for carrying out or supporting household activities such as washing, drying, cleaning (e.g., wiping or vacuuming), and the like. This also applies to kitchen appliances, which are also classified as household appliances. For example, a user can be assisted in preparing meals by a hand mixer, a hand blender, a kettle, and in particular by cooking appliances such as an oven, a steamer, a combination oven and steamer, a microwave, and the like. Kitchen appliances also include, for example, extractor hoods, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, chest freezers, and the like.

[0003] Some household appliances, such as vacuum cleaners and hand mixers, are guided and moved by the user during use and are therefore considered mobile. Other household appliances, such as washing machines, dryers, ovens, steamers, refrigerators, and the like, are placed and used in a specific location in the home, such as the kitchen or pantry, due to their intended use and their size and weight, and are therefore considered stationary.

[0004] Such stationary household appliances usually have in common that they have an outer casing which essentially encloses the household appliance on the outside and protects its individual components and elements, as well as making them easier to handle together. An interior space is formed within the household appliance which represents the handling space and is essentially enclosed by an inner casing which acts as an inner casing. Between the inner casing and the outer casing, a housing space is formed as an intermediate space in which functional elements of the household appliance, such as a controller or control unit, an electrical power supply and other components which serve the intended use of the household appliance, can be arranged. In depth from the front, i.e. viewed from the user's perspective, the outer casing ora panel in the form of a furniture material or in the form of a control panel and the like together with the inner housing closes off the housing space so that the housing space is not accessible to the user.

[0005] The interior of the household appliance has a through-opening at the front in depth as an access opening, through which the interior of the household appliance is accessible to the user in order to insert items to be treated, such as laundry to be washed or dried, food to be cooked or cooled, or the like, into the interior of the household appliance and arrange them there, and to remove them from the interior of the household appliance after treatment has been completed. The access opening can be opened by the user by means of a closure element, for example in the form of a door that can be pivoted sideways, a flap that can be pivoted downwards, or the like, in order to access the interior of the household appliance, as described above, or to close the interior of the household appliance and carry out the treatment process.Such a closure element can be designed to be closed or to have a viewing window to allow the user, for example in the case of a washing machine or an oven, to see into the closed interior of the household appliance.

[0006] It's now common practice in households to use so-called voice assistants to control and operate household appliances, among other things. A person, as the user, can speak instructions, which are then recorded, understood, and executed by the voice assistant. Voice assistants are software programs that are run by a hardware platform, such as the control unit. Currently well-known voice assistants include "Google Assistant," "Siri," "Alexa," and "Cortana."

[0007] Voice assistants can be used by separate devices, also called smart speakers, such as the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and the Apple HomePod. A smart speaker typically has both a microphone for capturing spoken instructions from people and a speaker for outputting spoken information. The combination of a voice assistant with a smart speaker can be referred to as a voice assistance system. A smartphone with voice assistant software can also represent a voice assistance system. If a household appliance is to be controlled in this way, the user can transmit their instructions to the voice assistance system verbally. The voice assistance system can then forward the recognized instructions to the household appliance via Wi-Fi or similar.

[0008] However, voice assistants can also be used directly by household appliances and operated via their control unit. In this case, the household appliance itself has at least one microphone for capturing spoken instructions from people and preferably also a speaker for outputting spoken information.

[0009] In any case, it is common practice for the user to deliberately activate the voice assistant or the voice assistance function in order to distinguish the subsequent speech as voice input to the voice assistant from the rest of the user's conversation. This is usually done via a wake word recorded by a smart speaker, smartphone, or household appliance.

[0010] The disadvantage here is that the wake word is universal and can therefore be used by anyone, including people other than the user of the household appliance who currently wants to carry out a treatment process.

[0011] Another disadvantage is that activating the voice assistant typically requires the user to utter a relatively long voice command, which is also counterintuitive and has a specific syntax. This makes it uncomfortable for the user. The user also has to carefully consider what to say.

[0012] It is also known to activate a voice assistance function using image recognition of a user, thus eliminating the need for the user to speak a wake word. In this case, a distinction can be made between simply recognizing a person and using this as the trigger for activating the voice assistant, or individually recognizing a specific person as a user from the captured image data and distinguishing them from other people.

[0013] The disadvantage, in any case, is that capturing images using a camera or similar device, as well as processing the captured image data using image recognition, requires additional and not insignificant effort. Image capture must be continuous, meaning it must always be active and running, in order to be able to recognize and respond to the user at any time.

[0014] The quality or result of image recognition, especially for the recognition of a specific person, also depends on the boundary conditions, particularly the visibility and lighting conditions, as well as the quality of the image capture. Higher image capture or camera quality also results in higher costs. Furthermore, the application of image capture and recognition is limited to the area in which images can be captured at all, for example, directly in front of a household appliance. Furthermore, image capture can also capture and recognize people in the image capture area who are not relevant at all and / or who do not want to be captured and recognized.

[0015] It is also known today that tagging a user via an existing smart device such as a smartphone, smartwatch, or other smart wearable is very well suited for user recognition and localization, provided the radio standard used is suitable for precise location and distance determination. Communication for localization typically requires a suitable radio module in the household appliance, via which the user's location is determined in order to trigger user-specific and location-dependent use cases and / or device reactions.

[0016] User recognition using ultra-wideband communication (UWB) technology is known. This technology allows a secure user ID (identification) to be transmitted via a communication protocol, as well as a distance measurement accurate to within 10 cm and a direction determination accurate to within 3° of a received signal sent between two UWB participants. This assumes communication between a UWB radio module in the household appliance and a smart device with UWB radio technology on the user's body.

[0017] Thus, the detection and localization of a user based on a smart device with UWB radio technology carried on the device is known, through a UWB radio module in the household appliance, which can trigger a device function of the household appliance that depends on the user and location.

[0018] The disadvantage, however, is that every household appliance that needs to detect the presence, approach, or proximity of a user must be equipped with a UWB radio module to perform a device function based on predefined or learned characteristics. This can be cost-intensive for certain device categories. Furthermore, the household appliance must be up-to-date and equipped with such a UWB radio module. Older appliances could only be retrofitted with extreme effort.

[0019] The invention addresses the problem of providing assistance functions based on user identification and / or user localization, even in household appliances that do not have a user identification and / or user localization function, in particular, a UWB radio module. This should be done as simply, cost-effectively, reliably, and / or energy-efficiently as possible.

[0020] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a household appliance system and a method having the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are set forth in the following dependent claims.

[0021] Thus, the invention relates to a household appliance system of a room with a non-UWB-capable household appliance, a UWB-capable device and a UWB-capable mobile terminal of a user, wherein the UWB-capable device is designed and configured to identify the UWB-enabled mobile device, to locate the UWB-enabled mobile device relative to itself, preferably by means of distance and angle, in the room, to determine the current position of the user based on his UWB-enabled mobile device relative to the non-UWB-enabled household appliance in the room and wherein the non-UWB-capable household appliance is designed and configured If the user is within a predetermined proximity to the non-UWB-capable household appliance in the room, to perform a user-specific operation.

[0022] The household appliance can be any household appliance, and in particular any kitchen appliance. In particular, the household appliance can be a stationary household appliance, and in particular a built-in household appliance. For example, the stationary household appliance can be a washing machine, a dryer, a refrigerator, a hob, an oven, a steamer, and the like.

[0023] The predetermined proximity may be such that the user can operate the non-UWB-enabled household appliance or at least visually recognize a display of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance.

[0024] The room is a room in a building in which the non-UWB-enabled household appliance, the UWB-enabled device, and the user's UWB-enabled mobile device are simultaneously located together. However, the room can also be an area of ​​a building and several adjacent rooms, provided that the previously described features can be implemented jointly and simultaneously across these rooms.

[0025] In any case, the invention is based on the finding that by means of a UWB-capable device which, on the one hand, can communicate with the non-UWB-capable household appliance in a manner other than using UWB communication as a radio standard for precise location or distance determination, at least one-way wirelessly or wired to the non-UWB-capable household appliance and preferably both-way, and on the other hand can identify a user and locate him or her relative to the non-UWB-capable household appliance, functions which require UWB communication can still be enabled by the non-UWB-capable household appliance.

[0026] Thus, the identification and localization of a user based on the UWB-enabled mobile device carried by the user, such as a smartphone, a smartwatch and the like, relative to the non-UWB-enabled household appliance can be taken over by the UWB-enabled device and communicated to the non-UWB-enabled household appliance via a communication technology other than UWB, so that as a result the same or comparable information regarding the identification and localization of the user is available at the non-UWB-enabled household appliance as if this household appliance itself were UWB-enabled.

[0027] The verification or comparison of position information to determine whether the user is sufficiently close to the non-UWB-capable household appliance can be performed by the UWB-capable device. If sufficient proximity is present, the non-UWB-capable household appliance can be informed of this via a communication technology other than UWB in order to respond. This can be considered a simpler implementation option. Alternatively, the current position of the user and a known position of the non-UWB-capable household appliance can be communicated to the non-UWB-capable household appliance via a communication technology other than UWB, so that the corresponding comparison of position information can be performed there in order to respond.

[0028] UWB communication refers to UWB technology itself, as well as any other technology or communication that results in the same or comparable information regarding the identification and localization of the user based on their mobile device. UWB communication thus refers to any radio standard for precise location or distance determination.

[0029] UWB stands for Ultra Wideband and describes the use of a broadband radio signal with a minimum width of 500 MHz in a frequency range from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. The generated radio signals have a time delay in the nanosecond range. This enables high data rates and also allows for time-of-flight measurements, which enable precise distance measurements between two UWB participants of less than 10 cm. Depending on the antenna design or when using multiple antennas, the directions of the radio signals can also be determined with an accuracy of around 3° using a time-of-flight difference. Typical measurement methods here are two-way ranging and PDoA (phase difference of the incoming signals).

[0030] IEEE802.15.4z can be used as the technical basis. This is a radio protocol for UWB communication that only uses low spectral power. This low spectral power limits its range. The high bandwidth (500 MHz) allows for very short pulses, which can be used for precise time-of-flight measurements.

[0031] In any case, functions requiring user identification and localization can be performed in this way even on household appliances that do not themselves enable UWB communication but can receive this information from a UWB-enabled device via another communication channel. These functions can thus be retrofitted or made available without the effort of implementing UWB communication on the household appliance.

[0032] In any case, the operation of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance can be specifically customized to the identified user, which can increase the convenience of using the non-UWB-enabled household appliance for the user due to this customization. This can also be used to implement security features, for example, to completely exclude children from using the non-UWB-enabled household appliance or at least to restrict the use of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance for children to certain functions and parameters.

[0033] According to one aspect of the invention, the UWB-enabled device is further configured and set up to send the current position of the user relative to the non-UWB-enabled household appliance in the room to the non-UWB-enabled household appliance by means of a non-UWB communication, and wherein the non-UWB-enabled household appliance is further configured and set up to receive the current position of the user relative to itself in the room from the UWB-enabled device by means of the non-UWB communication.

[0034] In this case, the user's current position relative to the non-UWB-capable household appliance in the room can be determined or calculated by the UWB-capable device, and this information can be passed on to the non-UWB-capable household appliance as a result of non-UWB communication. This can relieve the non-UWB-capable household appliance of this function.

[0035] According to a further aspect of the invention, user-specific operation includes user-specific function selection and / or user-specific function parameterization. This can further increase the design options for individual use and security functions.

[0036] According to a further aspect of the invention, user-specific operation includes activation of the non-UWB-capable household appliance. This can further increase the design options for individual use and security functions.

[0037] According to a further aspect of the invention, the household appliance system comprises a plurality of non-UWB-capable household appliances, each of which is designed and configured to perform a user-specific operation. This can further increase the possible uses of the household appliance system according to the invention.

[0038] According to a further aspect of the invention, the non-UWB-capable household appliance is designed and configured to send a completed operation by the user to the UWB-capable mobile terminal by means of the non-UWB communication, and the UWB-capable device is designed and configured to receive the completed operation of the non-UWB-capable household appliance by the user from the non-UWB-capable household appliance by means of the non-UWB communication and to assign the non-UWB-capable household appliance to the corresponding current position of the user relative to himself in the room.

[0039] This allows a map of the room to be created in advance of or during use of the previously described functions to record the position of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance or the position of the user during operation or use of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance and save it as a map. This can improve or facilitate the implementation of the previously described functions.

[0040] According to a further aspect of the invention, the UWB-enabled device is designed and configured to create a map of the room from the user's known positions relative to themselves and, based on the user's operation of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance, to assign the non-UWB-enabled household appliance to the corresponding position in the room. This can enable a more concrete implementation of the previously described functions.

[0041] According to a further aspect of the invention, the UWB-enabled device is designed and configured to detect a change in its own position in the room from a deviation between the current position of the user in the room when the non-UWB-enabled household appliance has been operated and the assigned position of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance in the room and, in response thereto, to assign the non-UWB-enabled household appliance to the corresponding new position in the room from the operation of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance by the user.

[0042] Thus, the UWB-enabled device can automatically detect that it has been moved by a person in the room, i.e., that its own position has changed. This invalidates the previously described map information and, in particular, the position of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance relative to the UWB-enabled device is no longer known. Accordingly, this information must first be re-acquired, as described above, in order to use the previously described functions again.

[0043] According to a further aspect of the invention, the UWB-enabled device is a UWB-enabled household appliance. Thus, a UWB-enabled household appliance can interact or cooperate with a non-UWB-enabled household appliance as described above.

[0044] According to a further aspect of the invention, the UWB-enabled device is a UWB-enabled voice assistance system. Thus, a UWB-enabled voice assistance system such as "Google Assistant," "Siri," "Alexa," or "Cortana" can interact or cooperate with a non-UWB-enabled household appliance as described above.

[0045] The invention also relates to a method for operating a household appliance system of a room, comprising at least the steps: Identifying a UWB-enabled mobile terminal, preferably by a UWB-enabled device, Localizing the UWB-enabled mobile terminal, preferably by means of distance and angle, in space relative to a UWB-enabled device, preferably by the UWB-enabled device, Determining the current position of a user based on their UWB-enabled mobile terminal relative to a non-UWB-enabled household appliance in space, preferably by the UWB-enabled device, and if the user is in a predetermined proximity to the non-UWB-enabled household appliance in space, Carrying out a user-specific operation by the non-UWB-enabled household appliance.

[0046] This can provide a method to implement and use the aspects and functions described above.

[0047] In other words, according to the invention, an alternative communication path can be created via which at least the command to trigger a device function can be given.

[0048] The problem can thus be solved by a method and a corresponding system in which the user carries a smart device with, for example, UWB radio technology, and at least one UWB radio module, for example, is located in a device in the room with the household appliances to be controlled, via which the user can be recognized and located. This device is referred to below as a UWB hub.

[0049] The UWB hub identifies the user based on the smart device's ID and locates them, for example, using UWB technology's "time difference of arrival" and / or "angle of arrival" measurement methods with the smart device on the user's body. The UWB hub thus knows who is in its vicinity at all times and knows the relative position between itself and the located user.

[0050] Based on the user's movements in the room over a certain period of time, the UWB hub can create a room map. Over time, the localized user will linger at different locations in the room for a certain amount of time and, if it's the kitchen, operate household appliances there.

[0051] Information can be exchanged between the UWB hub and the home appliances via alternative data communication. This information can include knowledge of the user, the user's relative location to the UWB hub, and thus also their location within the created room map, as well as knowledge of the operation of a home appliance. Operation can be detected, for example, via a door contact by opening and closing the door or by using the user interface.

[0052] From this information, assistance functions can be derived, which can be trained based on recurring user behavior and offered to the user or programmed by the user themselves. A route taken immediately before operating the home appliance can also be taken into account to implement user intent recognition. The information can be processed in the UWB hub, the home appliance, the user's smart device, or in a cloud.

[0053] The device response required for the assistance function can be sent as a command to the home appliance via the alternative communication channel if the information analysis is not performed in the home appliance. Otherwise, the collected information is sent to the home appliance for analysis via this alternative communication channel. Alternative communication channels include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Zigbee, as well as wired communication channels, for example, between the home appliance and an internet router or between the UWB hub and an internet router.

[0054] The UWB hub can be a standalone, external device such as a speaker (smart speaker), a voice assistant, a smart display (e.g. Amazon's Echo Show), a communication hub or bridge or controller for smart home applications, or an integrated UWB radio module in a single home appliance.

[0055] The UWB hub should not change its position during a learning phase or while using the learned or programmed assistance functions. Otherwise, a new learning phase will occur to determine the positions and paths and create the room map.

[0056] Consider two examples of feasible assistance functions: The user enters the kitchen every morning, walks to the coffee machine, and selects a latte. Using the described procedure, the system recognizes the user by their UWB-enabled smartwatch. Localization determines the user's path through the kitchen to the coffee machine. If the user remains in the same position, the coffee machine is operated and the beverage "latte" is selected. The system learns this information (user, path, appliance operation, latte, time of day) and offers the "desired beverage" use case, which is triggered user-specifically and depending on the time of day based on the user approaching the coffee machine. Different desired beverages are offered to other household members.

[0057] The user has set up restricted appliance use on their oven. Certain functions, such as pyrolysis, should only be accessible to adults. The user specifies in the system that these appliance functions are only enabled when certain people are present, depending on the ID recognized by the respective smart device. Furthermore, the user specifies that when approaching and standing in front of a household appliance, a user-specific user interface is called up, which each user can individually configure.

[0058] It is also conceivable that the UWB hub could have "room detection" that works with the help of the microphone array and sound reflection. Thus, the described UWB hub could also have its own determination of its position in the room, which could function redundantly or completely to generate a room map. This additional detection could also ensure that it is detected if the UWB hub has been moved or rearranged in the room. In this case, all use cases would be invalid and would have to be retrained. This way, no use cases are triggered incorrectly. It could be that a primary user in the household has positioned the UWB hub and then another household member, such as a child, moves the UWB hub somewhere else. Detection via the UWB hub's room detection function or via an acceleration sensor, which would then inform the primary user, would be useful.

[0059] In any case, UWB radio modules or similar devices are not required in every single household appliance. This saves costs, and also allows existing household appliances that have at least one communication channel for initiating the device functions to be used, thus ensuring a certain degree of backward compatibility. Furthermore, there are also household appliances for which the integration of a UWB radio module or similar device may be impossible because the device housing transmits no radio signals or only transmits them very poorly. This can also have a significant impact on localization accuracy, so localization via an external UWB hub may be more precise. An alternative communication channel for transmitting the information may be available or easier to implement.Portable household appliances such as battery-operated handheld vacuum cleaners, robot vacuum cleaners, or air purifiers can also complicate measurements to locate the user. At least one UWB participant should be stationary, acting as a so-called anchor, to ensure a fixed antenna orientation for locating and determining the direction of the UWB radio signals.

[0060] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows Figure 1 is a perspective view of a room in the form of a kitchen from above, front, with a household appliance system according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a representation of the Figure 1 from above supplemented by a map of positions.

[0061] The figures above are viewed in Cartesian coordinates. There is a longitudinal axis X, which can also be referred to as depth X or length X. Perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X extends a transverse axis Y, which can also be referred to as width Y. Perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis X and the transverse axis Y extends a vertical axis Z, which can also be referred to as height Z and corresponds to the direction of gravity. The longitudinal axis X and the transverse axis Y together form the horizontal X, Y, which can also be referred to as the horizontal plane X, Y.

[0062] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a room 0 in the form of a kitchen 0 from above at the front with a household appliance system according to the invention. Figure 2 shows the representation of the Figure 1 from above supplemented by a map of positions B, C.

[0063] The household appliance system according to the invention comprises a first non-UWB-capable household appliance 1 in the form of an oven 1, a second non-UWB-capable household appliance 2 in the form of a steamer 2 and (only in the Figure 2 shown and viewed) a third non-UWB-capable household appliance 3 in the form of a microwave 3. Furthermore, the household appliance system according to the invention comprises a UWB-capable device 4 in the form of a UWB-capable voice assistance system 4 and a UWB-capable mobile terminal 5 in the form of a UWB wearable 5 as a UWB smartwatch 5, which is worn by a person as user 6 on the left wrist.

[0064] The kitchen 0 has a cooking island 01 with a cooktop (not labeled) in the foreground. The kitchen 0 has a transverse kitchen unit 02 in the background, which has several kitchen units 03. The UWB-capable voice assistance system 4 is arranged on the cooking island 01. The oven 1 and the steamer 2 are stationary built-in appliances in the kitchen units 03. In the Figure 2 the microwave 3 is arranged either on the transverse kitchen unit 02 or on the cooking island 01, since the position of the microwave 3 is not clearly known, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0065] The oven 1 and the steam cooker 2 each have an outer housing (not designated), which can also be referred to as an outer casing and essentially closes off or encloses the respective household appliance 1, 2 to the outside. The outer casing terminates in the upper area along the longitudinal axis toward the front, i.e., toward the kitchen 0, with a panel 10, 20. The panel 10, 20 each has a display / control element 12, 22 in the form of a display 12, 22.

[0066] Within the outer housing is a cooking chamber (not shown), which is accessible to the user 6 from the front along the longitudinal axis X through an access opening (not shown) located below the panel 10, 20. The access opening can be closed and opened by means of a closure element 11, 21 in the form of a flap 11, 21.

[0067] Each household appliance 1, 2 further comprises a non-UWB-capable communication module to enable communication in both transmission directions with the UWB-capable voice assistance system 4, which is capable of communicating via UWB with the UWB smartwatch 5 of a user 6 as well as communicating via non-UWB technology with the oven 1 and the steamer 2 as non-UWB-capable household appliances 1, 2. For this purpose, the UWB-capable voice assistance system 4 each comprises a separate communication module (not shown), which can each be operated or controlled by a control unit (not shown) of the UWB-capable voice assistance system 4. Likewise, each household appliance 1, 2 comprises a control unit (not shown) for operating the respective components and modules.

[0068] In general, the UWB communication between the UWB-enabled voice assistance system 4 and the UWB-enabled mobile device 5 of the user 6 can be used to identify the UWB-enabled mobile device 5 and associate it with the user 6, thereby also allowing the user 6 to be identified. The UWB-enabled mobile device 5, and thus at least roughly the user 6, can also be located by the UWB-enabled voice assistance system 4, which enables the determination of an orientation and a distance between the UWB-enabled voice assistance system 4 and the UWB-enabled mobile device 5.

[0069] This information can be stored as the current position B of user 6 by the UWB-enabled voice assistance system 4. This can be repeated continuously so that a map of the kitchen 0 can be created with respect to the known positions C of user 6 and stored by the UWB-enabled voice assistance system 4.

[0070] In any case, the UWB-enabled voice assistance system 4 can continuously compare the current position B of the user 6 with a stored position C in the immediate or sufficient proximity to each of the non-UWB-enabled household appliances 1, 2, 3 in order to detect if the user 6 is in sufficient proximity to one of the non-UWB-enabled household appliances 1, 2, 3 or stays there for a sufficient time to infer the user 6's intention to use the corresponding non-UWB-enabled household appliance 1, 2, 3. This may not be clear with regard to the microwave 3 in the illustration in Figure 3, but may be sufficient to activate the microwave 3 nonetheless.

[0071] If use is to occur and this is detected, the respective non-UWB-capable household appliance 1, 2, 3 can be woken up from sleep or standby mode and fully activated. Furthermore, the operation of the non-UWB-capable household appliance 1, 2, 3 can be adapted to the user, which can be done with regard to the displayed or accessible functions and their parameters. Thus, the non-UWB-capable household appliances 1, 2, 3 can also be used like UWB-capable household appliances 1, 2, 3. List of reference symbols (part of the description)

[0072] AWireless communication connection BCurrent position of the user 6 CKnown positions of the user 6 X Longitudinal axis; Depth; Length Y Transverse axis; Width Z Vertical axis; Height X, Y Horizontal; Horizontal plane 0Room; Kitchen 01Kitchen island 02Kitchen unit 03Kitchen furniture 1(first) non-UWB-capable household appliance; oven 10Panel 11Closing element; flap 12Display / control element; display 2(second) non-UWB-capable household appliance; steamer 20Panel 21Closing element; flap 22Display / control element; display 3(third) non-UWB-capable household appliance; microwave 4UWB-enabled device; UWB-enabled voice assistance system 5UWB-capable mobile device; UWB wearable; UWB smartwatch 6Person; User

Claims

1. A household appliance system of a room (0) comprising a non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3), a UWB-capable device (4), and a UWB-capable mobile terminal (5) of a user (6), wherein the UWB-capable device (4) is designed and configured to identify the UWB-capable mobile terminal (5), to localize the UWB-capable mobile terminal (5) relative to itself in the room (0), preferably by means of distance and angle, and to determine the current position (B) of the user (6) based on the user's UWB-capable mobile terminal (5) relative to the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) in the room (0), and wherein the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) is designed and configured to carry out a user-specific operation if the user (6) is within a predetermined proximity to the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) in the room (0).

2. Household appliance system according to claim 1, wherein the UWB-capable device (4) is further designed and configured to send the current position (B) of the user (6) relative to the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) in the room (0) to the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) by means of non-UWB communication, and wherein the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) is further designed and configured to receive the current position (B) of the user (6) relative to itself in the room (0) from the UWB-capable device (4) by means of the non-UWB communication.

3. Household appliance system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the user-specific operation comprises a user-specific function selection and / or a user-specific function parameterization.

4. Household appliance system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the user-specific operation comprises an activation of the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3).

5. Household appliance system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the household appliance system comprises a plurality of non-UWB-capable household appliances (1; 2; 3), each of which is designed and configured to carry out a user-specific operation.

6. Household appliance system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) is designed and configured to send an operation performed by the user (6) to the UWB-capable mobile terminal (5) by means of the non-UWB communication, and wherein the UWB-capable device (4) is designed and configured to receive the operation of the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) by the user (6) from the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) by means of the non-UWB communication and to assign the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) to the corresponding current position (B) of the user (6) relative to themselves in the room (0).

7. Household appliance system according to claim 6, wherein the UWB-enabled device (4) is designed and configured to create a map of the room (0) from the known positions (C) of the user (6) relative to itself and to assign the non-UWB-enabled household appliance (1; 2; 3) to the corresponding position in the room (0) from the operation of the non-UWB-enabled household appliance (1; 2; 3) by the user (6).

8. Household appliance system according to claim 7, wherein the UWB-capable device (4) is designed and configured to detect a change in its own position in the room (0) from a deviation of the current position (B) of the user (6) in the room (0) upon successful operation of the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) and the assigned position of the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) in the room (0) and, in response thereto, to assign the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) to the corresponding new position in the room (0) based on the successful operation of the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) by the user (6).

9. Household appliance system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the UWB-enabled device (4) is a UWB-enabled household appliance.

10. Household appliance system according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the UWB-enabled device (4) is a UWB-enabled voice assistance system (4).

11. A method for operating a household appliance system in a room (0) comprising at least the steps of: identifying a UWB-capable mobile terminal (5), preferably by a UWB-capable device (4), locating the UWB-capable mobile terminal (5), preferably by means of distance and angle, in the room (0) relative to a UWB-capable device (4), preferably by the UWB-capable device (4), determining the current position (B) of a user (6) based on their UWB-capable mobile terminal (5) relative to a non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) in the room (0), preferably by the UWB-capable device (4), and if the user (6) is in a predetermined proximity to the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3) in the room (0), executing a user-specific operation by the non-UWB-capable household appliance (1; 2; 3).