Apparatus, method, and storage medium for deciding an exposure condition based on brightness of a combined area of a captured image

1. An apparatus comprising:

sensor that acquires distance information indicating a distance to an object included in each of divided areas of an imaging area;

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory having instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform operations as:

a creation unit configured to create a combined area that is obtained by combining divided areas based on the acquired distance information and positions of the divided areas in the imaging area; and

a decision unit configured to decide an exposure condition in the combined area of an image to be captured based on brightness and an exposure condition in the combined area of a captured image.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the decision unit sets a limit on a setting range of the exposure condition of the combined area.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the creation unit determines that adjacent divided areas each having a relative distance between the adjacent divided areas less than or equal to a first threshold are a same combined area.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first threshold is decided based on at least any one of distance information of an entire image, an imaging field angle, a focal distance, a restriction on a size of the combined area.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein, the decision unit decreases a difference between setting values of exposure conditions of the adjacent divided areas as the relative distance becomes short.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, based on a plurality of pieces of distance information in a same combined area, the acquisition unit calculates a distance of the same combined area.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the creation unit determines that combined areas having a distance difference less than or equal to a second threshold are a same combined area.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where a positional relationship between divided areas or combined areas in the captured image is less than or equal to a third threshold, the creation unit determines that the divided areas or the combined areas are a same combined area.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the creation unit creates the combined area from divided areas adjacent to each other.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where a brightness difference in the combined areas having substantially same distance information, is less than or equal to a fourth threshold, the decision unit narrows a setting range of exposure conditions in a the combined areas.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the decision unit decides to set a same value for the exposure conditions of all pixel areas in a same combined area.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the decision unit sets a limit on a setting range of the exposure conditions for a combined area to which image recognition is to be executed or from which an image recognition target has been detected.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the distance information is calculated based on at least any one of image plane phase difference auto-focus (AF) using an imaging optical system, contrast AF using an optical system, ranging detection using optical detection, object identification using image recognition, and background differencing.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine a boundary between the combined areas.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the determination unit determines a boundary between the combined areas based on at least any one of a preset position of the boundary, a position where a relative distance between adjacent divided areas varies less than or equal to a fifth threshold, a closest point of a relative distance between adjacent divided areas in an area where the relative distance varies, and image recognition.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the creation unit starts creation processing of the combined area based on at least any one of a detection accuracy of image recognition, a detection result of the image recognition, a case where a range of brightness of an entire image is more than or equal to a sixth threshold, and a case where a difference between distances of pixel areas in the entire image is more than a seventh threshold.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the decision unit decides the exposure condition of the combined area such that a brightness difference of images between adjacent combined areas becomes less than or equal to an eighth threshold or more than or equal to the eighth threshold.

18. A method comprising:

acquiring distance information indicating a distance to an object included in each of divided areas of an imaging area;

creating a combined area that is obtained by combining divided areas based on the acquired distance information and positions of the divided areas in the imaging area; and

deciding an exposure condition in the combined area of an image to be captured based on brightness and an exposure condition in the combined area of a captured image.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a method, the method comprising:

acquiring distance information indicating a distance to an object included in each of divided areas of an imaging area;

creating a combined area that is obtained by combining divided areas based on the acquired distance information and positions of the divided areas in the imaging area; and

deciding an exposure condition in the combined area of an image to be captured based on brightness and an exposure condition in the combined area of a captured image.