Driving support apparatus, driving support system, and driving support method

1. A driving support apparatus comprising:

a communication device configured to communicate with a vehicle-mounted device installed in a vehicle that is under automatic driving control and a mobile terminal of a user of the vehicle; and

a processor configured to:

in response to detecting that the user has exited the vehicle, transmit an instruction signal instructing the mobile terminal to display a return button on a display of the mobile terminal, the return button, when selected, causing the mobile terminal to transmit a return request to the communication device,

receive, from the mobile terminal via the communication device, the return request to move the vehicle to an exit location at which the user has exited the vehicle, and

transmit a return command to move the vehicle using automatic driving control to the exit location to the vehicle-mounted device through the communication device, when a return time required to move the vehicle to the exit location is less than an available return time.

2. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the return time is calculated in accordance with an elapsed time from the exit of the user from the vehicle.

3. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a memory that stores a destination and a target arrival time of a passenger riding in the vehicle, wherein

the processor calculates an expected arrival time at which the vehicle is expected to arrive at the destination of the passenger based on a driving route of the vehicle, and determines the available return time in accordance with an allowable time between the expected arrival time and the target arrival time.

4. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the signal for displaying the return button on the mobile terminal causes the mobile terminal to display an available time remaining of displaying the return button on the mobile terminal.

5. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the return time is equal to or greater than the available return time, the processor retrieves a second vehicle that is present within a certain range from the exit location, and transmits, to the vehicle-mounted device of the second vehicle through the communication device, a command to move the retrieved second vehicle to the exit location.

6. A driving support system comprising:

a vehicle-mounted device installed in a vehicle that is under automatic driving control;

a mobile terminal of a user of the vehicle; and

a server connected to the vehicle-mounted device and the mobile terminal, which are communicable with each other through a network, wherein:

in response to detecting that the user has exited the vehicle, the server transmits an instruction signal instructing the mobile terminal to display a return button on a display of the mobile terminal, the return button, when selected, causing the mobile terminal to transmit a return request to the communication device,

the mobile terminal transmits, to the server, the return request to move the vehicle to an exit location at which the user has exited the vehicle,

upon receiving the return request, the server transmits a return command to move the vehicle using automatic driving control to the exit location to the vehicle-mounted device, when a return time required to move the vehicle to the exit location is less than an available return time, and

upon receiving the return command, the vehicle-mounted device moves the vehicle to the exit location.

7. The driving support system according to claim 6 , wherein the mobile terminal is connected to the vehicle-mounted device, which are communicable with each other, and sends the return command to the vehicle-mounted device.

8. A driving support method comprising steps of:

in response to detecting that a user has exited a vehicle, transmitting an instruction signal instructing a mobile terminal to display a return button on a display of the mobile terminal, the return button, when selected, causing the mobile terminal to transmit a return request to a communication device, the communication device being configured to communicate with a vehicle-mounted device installed in the vehicle that is under automatic driving control and the mobile terminal of the user of the vehicle;

receiving, from the mobile terminal via the communication device, a return request to move the vehicle to an exit location at which the user has exited the vehicle; and

when a return time required to move the vehicle to the exit location is less than an available return time, transmitting a return command to move the vehicle using automatic driving control to the exit location to the vehicle-mounted device.