JP2008104147A - Imaging apparatus, imaging system, image data processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus storing a lot of photographed images with a small storage capacity. <P>SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus 300 comprises a storage unit 330 for storing image data and a communication unit 340 for communicating with an external device. The imaging apparatus 300 transmits image data by means of the communication unit 340, stores the image data in the external device, receives information of access to the image data from the external device, stores the access information in the storage unit 330, and erases image data stored in the storage unit 330. The imaging apparatus 300 generates reduced image data obtained by reducing an image size from the image data and can store the reduced image data in the storage unit 330 in association with access information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device capable of communicating with an external device, an imaging system including the imaging device, a method of processing image data output by imaging, and a program for executing the method.

In recent years, digital cameras have been widely used as imaging devices, and at the same time, the performance of digital camera bodies has been continuously improved. The number of pixels to be photographed is increasing year by year, and the user can easily photograph high-resolution images, and convenience is improved. On the other hand, an increase in the number of pixels to be photographed increases the image data size per frame, causing a problem of insufficient memory capacity.

Generally, a digital camera includes a detachable memory device for storing image data output after being captured. Memory devices vary depending on the memory capacity and resolution, but the number of images that can be taken is limited. Therefore, if you need to take more images, delete unnecessary image data from the image data that has already been taken and stored, or connect the memory device to an external device such as a personal computer to save the image data. To increase the available memory capacity of the memory device.

In view of this problem, a portable electronic device, an image processing method, an image pickup apparatus, and a computer readable computer that can further use the image memory while securing the stored image even when the image memory is likely to be insufficient. A recording medium has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In the portable electronic device, the image processing method, and the imaging apparatus, when the remaining amount of the image memory is less than the predetermined amount, the storage management information of the image memory, for example, the recording date, the last access date, the access frequency The image data is automatically selected by using such a method, and the image data is moved by communicating with another image server or the like, thereby securing an image memory necessary for new photographing. Therefore, the number of images that can be shot can be increased sufficiently without using a large-capacity flash memory card, smart memory, or other memory.

A digital camera capable of transmitting image data externally is described in Patent Document 2, for example.

Japanese Patent No. 3535693 JP 2000-287115 A

However, with the technique described in Patent Document 1, only image data stored in the memory in the digital camera can be viewed, and the content of transmitted image data cannot be confirmed on the digital camera. was there. Further, since the image data is deleted from the memory in the digital camera after the image data is transmitted, there is a problem that the image data cannot be reproduced if communication is impossible when reproduction is desired.

Patent Document 2 discloses that transmission of image data is efficiently performed when image data is transmitted from a digital camera, and the inconvenience described in Patent Document 1 still remains.

Therefore, it has been desired to provide an imaging device and a processing method for image data that can confirm the content of transmitted image data and can reproduce the content even if communication is impossible when it is desired to reproduce the image data.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the image data that is communicated with an external device, captured and output is stored, transmitted to the external device, stored in the external device, and the image data from the external device to the image data is also stored. It has a function of receiving access information and storing the access information and erasing previously stored image data. With this function, the content of transmitted image data can be confirmed using access information. Further, the imaging apparatus has a function of generating reduced image data obtained by reducing the image size from the image data and storing the reduced image data. As a result, a reduced image can be displayed even if communication is impossible when reproduction is desired.

That is, according to the present invention, a storage unit that stores image data, a communication unit that communicates with an external device, the image data is transmitted and stored in the external device, and the image data is accessed from the external device. An image pickup apparatus is provided, comprising: an image data replacement unit that receives information and stores the access information in the storage unit instead of the recorded image data and erases the image data stored in the storage unit .

The access information to the image data stored in the external device can be a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

The imaging apparatus can generate reduced image data obtained by reducing the image size from the image data, and store the reduced image data in the storage unit in association with the access information.

The imaging apparatus can further include a display unit that displays an image. In this case, it is determined whether or not communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible. If communication is possible, image data is downloaded from the external device based on the access information, and communication is impossible. In this case, the reduced image data stored in the storage unit can be read and displayed on the display unit.

The imaging apparatus can also determine whether or not communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible every predetermined time, and stores image data in the storage unit until it is determined that communication is possible. In response to determining that communication is possible, the image data can be transmitted.

The imaging apparatus can also provide an image data processing method for processing image data obtained by imaging a subject. In this method, a communication unit starts communication with an external device, the image data is stored in a storage unit, the image data is transmitted by the communication unit, and is stored in the external device. Receiving access information to the image data from the device, and storing the access information in the storage unit instead of the image data, and erasing the image data stored in the storage unit.

The method may further include generating reduced image data with a reduced image size from the image data, and storing the reduced image data in the storage unit in association with the access information.

Further, a step of determining whether or not communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible, and if communication is possible, image data is downloaded from the external device based on the access information and displayed on the display unit. And a step of reading the reduced image data stored in the storage unit and displaying the reduced image data on the display unit when communication is impossible.

Further, a step of determining whether or not communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible every predetermined time, a step of storing image data in the storage unit until it is determined that communication is possible, and a communication Transmitting image data in response to determining that it is possible.

According to the present invention, there is further provided an imaging system including the imaging apparatus and an external device that stores image data transmitted from the imaging apparatus, and an apparatus executable program that causes the imaging apparatus to execute the image processing method. You can also.

According to the present invention, despite the limited memory capacity, the user can store more images taken by the imaging device and can reproduce more images. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce problems such as a lack of memory capacity that cannot be taken at a photo opportunity, and unnecessary image data must be erased.

Further, by generating reduced image data from the image data and storing it in association with the access information, it is possible to confirm the captured image even when communication with an external device is impossible. Furthermore, when communication is possible, image data can be downloaded from an external device, and when communication is impossible, reduced image data can be read and displayed, so the user always checks the communication status. There is no need to improve convenience.

With reference to FIG. 1, an embodiment of a system in the case of using the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. The system shown in FIG. 1 includes an imaging device 100, a personal computer 110 that directly communicates with the imaging device 100, a relay device (not shown) connected to a network 120 such as the Internet or an intranet, and a server 130 connected to the network 120. It is comprised including. The personal computer 110 and the server 130 are external devices for the imaging apparatus 100.

Although details of the imaging device 100 will be described later, the imaging device 100 can wirelessly communicate with the server 130 via the personal computer 110 and a relay device. Therefore, the imaging apparatus 100 can store image data generated by imaging in the personal computer 110 and the server 130. Further, the imaging apparatus 100 can receive access information to the image data stored in the personal computer 110 and the server 130.

Here, the personal computer 110 and the server 130 are illustrated as external devices that include communication means and can store image data. However, a printer, a fax machine, and a scanner apparatus that include the communication means and storage means have these functions. It can also be a digital multifunction device. As a communication means of the personal computer 110, a PC card type interface card and a conversion adapter for connecting the card to a communication bus can be used. As a relay device, a router that relays to the network 120, a bridge when connecting data via a gateway, a cable or the like when communicating data with different media or protocols, and a bridge can be used. For example, the bridge can relay data only to an appropriate port with reference to the MAC address of the transfer destination.

The personal computer 110 and the server 130 receive the image data from the imaging device 100, store it in a storage unit such as a hard disk drive, and send back access information to the image data. Since the personal computer 110 directly communicates with the imaging apparatus 100, for example, a drive is assigned such as an H drive or an I drive, and "H: \ 0001.jpg", "I: \ 0005.jpg", etc. are accessed. You can reply as information. In addition, the server 130 that communicates via the network 120 can return a URL indicating the location of a service on the Internet as access information.

The URL is for receiving an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) file from the server 130 using HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), such as “http://www.gazou.com/gazou” file / 0001.html. As described above, the access method using HTTP, a server name “www.gazou.com”, a path name “gazoufile”, and a file name “0001.html” can be configured. The communication between the imaging apparatus 100 and the server 130 is not only the HTTP used for data transmission / reception between the Web server and the Web browser, but also TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) such as the Internet and Intranet. It can be performed using FTP (File Transfer Protocol) used when transferring a file on the network.

With reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the imaging apparatus of this embodiment is demonstrated in detail. First, a specific physical configuration of the imaging apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The imaging apparatus 200 includes a processor 210 that manages the functions of the imaging apparatus 200 and executes a requested process in response to a user command, a lens driving system for photographing a subject, a shutter driving system, a CCD, and the like. An imaging unit 220, a ROM 230 storing a program for causing the processor 210 to execute processing, a RAM 240 and an SRAM 250 capable of rewriting data and temporarily storing image data, the personal computer 110 shown in FIG. A communication interface 260 that communicates with the server 130 and a user interface 270 that realizes functions such as a liquid crystal display, a key button, a shutter button, and a mode dial are configured.

The imaging device 200 is configured as a portable size and is driven by a rechargeable battery or battery. In response to the power-on of the imaging apparatus 200, the processor 210 reads a program from the ROM 230, which is a read-only memory, and executes the processing of the imaging apparatus 200. Specific processing will be described later. The RAM 240 and the SRAM 250 are readable / writable memories and can temporarily store data. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, these two RAMs are used, but only one RAM may be used.

The communication interface 260 differs depending on the communication distance with an external device, but when the communication distance is relatively short, for example, within about 10 m, the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard for performing communication using the 2.4 GHz band, Alternatively, an infrared communication circuit such as IrDA can be used. This circuit is used for short-range communication, and can transmit and receive data with low power consumption.

When performing communication exceeding the distance, the communication interface 260 may be a wireless LAN circuit that functions in accordance with the wireless LAN standard (WiFi). This wireless LAN circuit uses a communication protocol defined in, for example, IEEE 802.11a to 11n, has a large cell size, and can transmit a large amount of data at high speed. Although this wireless LAN circuit can transmit a large amount of data at a high speed as compared with the short-distance communication circuit described above, the power consumption is large and the imaging device 200 is driven by a battery or the like. In consideration, the communication interface 260 is preferably the above short-range communication circuit. Therefore, it is preferable to install the external device and the repeater in a place where the communication distance is short or take a picture in a place where the distance from them is short.

The liquid crystal display can display various setting information such as resolution, image size, date, and time in addition to images. The key button is used for a user to input a setting. The shutter button is pressed when the user takes a picture. The mode dial is used to select a shooting mode or a playback mode to be described later.

The imaging apparatus of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. The imaging apparatus 300 uses a display unit 310 that displays a captured image, and an imaging unit that captures an image of the subject using hardware such as the lens driving system, the shutter driving system, and the CCD described above, and generates and outputs image data. 320, a storage unit 330 that stores the output image data, a communication unit 340 that communicates with the external device, and a communication unit 340 that transmits the output image data and stores the image data in the external device. And a control unit 350 that receives access information to the image data, causes the storage unit 330 to store the access information, and erases the image data stored in the storage unit 330. In FIG. 3, a server 360 is shown as an external device.

The display unit 310 corresponds to the above-described liquid crystal display, and the imaging unit 320 corresponds to the imaging unit 220 illustrated in FIG. The storage unit 330 corresponds to the RAM 240 and the SRAM 250 shown in FIG. 2, and may include an SD (Secure Digital) memory card (not shown). The communication unit 340 corresponds to the communication interface 260 illustrated in FIG. The processor 210 shown in FIG. 2 reads out the program from the ROM 230 and executes it, so that it can function as the control unit 350.

In response to the user turning on the power, the imaging apparatus 300 causes the control unit 350 to function and starts communication between the communication unit 340 and the server 360. The communication during this time can be started by, for example, accessing using the IP address of the server 360, transmitting the user ID and password, and authenticating them by the server 360. In this case, the storage unit 330 of the imaging apparatus 300 can store and register the IP address of the server 360 and the server 360 can store the user ID and password of the imaging apparatus 300. When communication is started, data can be transmitted and received.

When the user interface 270 shown in FIG. 2 detects that the user has pressed the shutter button, the imaging unit 320 functions to generate and output image data. Note that the user can set the resolution, the image size, and the like in advance by inputting data to the user interface 270. These data can be input by pressing a key button while viewing the liquid crystal display. Further, the user can select a playback mode for displaying an image and a shooting mode for shooting a subject by rotating the mode dial.

The image data output by the imaging unit 320 is temporarily stored in the storage unit 330. The image data is transmitted from the communication unit 340 to the server 360 by the control unit 350. The server 360 receives the image data, stores it at a predetermined address on a storage means configured as a database, etc., generates access information to the image data from the address, and transmits it to the communication unit 340. For example, the server 360 holds a table including an address field and an access information field corresponding to the address field, and stores image data corresponding to the access information by storing the address and the access information in association with each other. The access information can be the above URL.

The control unit 350 can generate reduced image data obtained by reducing the image size from the output image data, and can store the reduced image data in the storage unit in association with the access information. That is, the control unit 350 generates reduced image data referred to as a thumbnail or the like from the image data output by the imaging unit 320. Note that this reduced image is obtained by applying lower resolution, color reduction, or both resolution reduction and color reduction to the original image data so that the storage space of the imaging apparatus is not unnecessarily compressed, and JPEG, JPEG2000, GIF, PNG As an image compression such as TIFF, it is created as data independent of the original image data.

For this reason, even after the original image data is deleted, the reduced image is not created on-the-fly from the original image data, so that the user can view the reduced image as desired. In addition, the generated reduced image data is stored in association with access information returned from the server 360, for example, a URL or a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). Access information can be associated by, for example, embedding a URL in an image displayed on a liquid crystal display.

In an HTML file, for example, a link tag such as <a href="A"> to </a> and a tag for attaching an image such as <imgsrc = "B"> are used, and URL is stored in A and reduced image data is stored in B It is possible to embed a URL by inserting an address on a memory that has been specified or an address specified by an absolute path value that uniquely specifies image data on a network. Thereby, when the communication link is established, in response to the selection of the reduced image by the user's key button, the image data at the link destination indicated by the URL can be downloaded and displayed.

The control unit 350 determines whether communication between the communication unit 340 and the server 360 is possible. This is because in the case of wireless communication, depending on the communication environment such as the distance to the repeater and the presence or absence of a failure, the connection between them may be cut off during communication or may not be connected. If communication is possible, the image data can be downloaded from the server 360 based on the access information. When the communication is impossible, the image data cannot be downloaded, so the reduced image data stored in the storage unit 330 is read out and displayed on the display unit 310. In any case, since the image can be displayed, the contents of the image data can be easily confirmed.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 350 can determine whether communication between the communication unit 340 and the server 360 is possible at predetermined time intervals. In this case, image data is stored in the storage unit 330 until it is determined that communication is possible, and the communication unit 340 transmits image data in response to the determination that communication is possible. be able to. The image data transmitted by the communication unit 340 is stored at a predetermined address on the storage unit of the server 360. After storing the image data, the server 360 can transmit access information to the image data to the communication unit 340.

Next, processing executed by the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. As described above, the imaging apparatus 300 includes the mode dial, and the processing mode can be selected by the user. With reference to FIG. 4, an outline of processing by the imaging apparatus 300 will be described.

When the user turns on the imaging apparatus 300, the imaging apparatus 300 starts processing (S400). The imaging apparatus 300 determines which processing mode is selected by the user using the mode dial. Here, first, it is determined whether or not the shooting mode is selected as the processing mode (S410). The shooting mode is a mode that enables shooting by the imaging apparatus 300, and can perform processing for generating, outputting, and storing image data in response to the user pressing the shutter button. If it is determined in S410 that the shooting mode has been selected, the above processing in the shooting mode is executed (S420). On the other hand, if it is determined that the shooting mode is not selected, it is determined whether or not the playback mode is selected (S430). The reproduction mode is a mode in which image data is captured by the imaging apparatus 300 and image data is reproduced and displayed on the display unit 310. If it is determined in S430 that the playback mode has been selected, the above processing in the playback mode is executed (S440). If it is determined that the playback mode has not been selected, if the process in S420 ends, or if the process in S440 ends, the process by the imaging device 300 ends (S450).

With reference to FIG. 5, one embodiment of the processing in the shooting mode will be described. If it is determined in S410 in FIG. 4 that the shooting mode has been selected, processing in the shooting mode is started (S500). The image capturing unit 320 of the image capturing apparatus 300 generates and outputs image data based on setting information such as the resolution, image size, and date set in advance by the user. The storage unit 330 of the imaging apparatus 300 stores the output image data (S510). This storage is temporary storage. Therefore, it is stored in the RAM 240 or SRAM 250 shown in FIG.

In addition, the control unit 350 generates reduced image data from the output image data (S520). The reduced image size and resolution can be set to the default size and resolution. The reduced image data is used to replace the image data originally acquired by the imaging apparatus for display or reference. The reduced image data has a size and resolution at which the image content can be confirmed from the reduced image displayed on the display unit 310, and has any size and resolution as long as it is smaller than the data capacity of the image data. There may be.

Communication between the communication unit 340 and the external device can be started in response to the power supply to the imaging apparatus 300 being turned on. However, communication may not be possible depending on the communication environment. Even if it starts, it may be cut off halfway. Therefore, the control unit 350 determines whether communication between the communication unit 340 and the external device is possible (S530). If it is determined that communication is possible, the control unit 350 instructs the communication unit 340 to transmit image data to an external device by sending a transmission command or the like (S540). The external device receives the transmitted image data, stores it at a predetermined address on the storage means, generates access information for the image data, and transmits it to the imaging apparatus 300. For this reason, the image data transmitted from the communication unit 340 can be transmitted including an imaging device identifier for identifying the imaging device 300. The imaging device identifier can be an IP address or a MAC address.

If it is determined in S530 that communication is not possible, it is determined whether the set communication mode is the automatic mode (S550). This communication mode is different from the processing mode described above, and can be set in advance by the user using the key buttons. Communication between the communication unit 340 and the external device may be disconnected due to some factor. However, even if it is disconnected once, if the factor is removed, it is connected again and communication is possible. Therefore, when the communication mode is the automatic mode, the process returns to S530 to determine whether or not communication is possible again after a predetermined time has elapsed, and this determination is repeated until communication is possible. On the other hand, if it is not the automatic mode, the process is terminated without determining whether or not communication is possible (S580).

In response to the communication unit 340 receiving the access information from the external device, the control unit 350 associates the access information with the reduced image data (S560). Specifically, a URL is received as access information, the URL is embedded in a reduced image, and reduced image data associated with the URL is generated. The control unit 350 stores the reduced image data in the storage unit 330 and erases the temporarily stored image data (S570). The reduced image data has a smaller data capacity because it has a lower resolution and a smaller image size than the image data. Therefore, a large amount of data can be stored in the storage unit 330 of the imaging device 300. In this way, when the temporarily stored image data is deleted, the process is terminated (S580).

With reference to FIG. 6, one embodiment of processing in the playback mode will be described. If it is determined in S430 in FIG. 4 that the playback mode has been selected, processing in the playback mode is started (S600). In response to the selection of the playback mode, a list of reduced image data stored in the storage unit 330 can be displayed on the display unit 310. When the imaging apparatus 300 has a function of capturing a moving image or recording a sound in addition to capturing a still image, the imaging device 300 is selected by selecting a function mode including an image display mode, a moving image display mode, and an audio playback mode. Data can be played back in different modes. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the user can display a list of reduced image data stored in the storage unit 330 by selecting an image display mode as a function mode (S610). When the user selects one reduced image data from the list of reduced image data, the reduced image is displayed on the display unit 310 (S620).

Next, the control unit 350 determines whether communication between the communication unit 340 and the external device is possible (S630). If communication is possible, the URL embedded in the reduced image data is accessed, and the image data existing in the URL is downloaded from the external device (S640). The downloaded image data is displayed as an image on the display unit 310 (S650). On the other hand, if the communication is impossible, the URL cannot be accessed and the image data cannot be downloaded from the external device, so the process ends (S660). In this case, although the image cannot be displayed, the thumbnail that is a reduced image can be displayed, so that the data content can be confirmed.

Access to the URL can be performed, for example, by displaying a reduced image and pressing a key button such as enter. Specifically, the control unit 350 reads a URL in response to pressing of the key button, and causes the communication unit 340 to transmit this URL together with the image data request. In response to the image data request, the external device searches the image data stored in the storage unit based on the URL, and transmits the corresponding image data to the communication unit 340.

Although the processes executed by the imaging apparatus 300 have been described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, these processes can be realized by executing a program. In this case, it can be realized by storing a program in the ROM 230 shown in FIG. 2 and causing the processor 210 to execute the program. This program is not limited to the ROM 230, and may be stored in any other recording medium.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, image data having a large data capacity is stored in an external device, and only a small amount of data is stored in the imaging device, and only access information such as congratulation image data and URL data is stored. A large amount of image data can be stored in the amount of memory. Since the imaging apparatus can communicate using a standard protocol, a general personal computer can be used as an external device. Further, by generating reduced image data in which the image size is reduced from the image data and storing it in the storage unit in association with the access information, even if communication with an external device is impossible, the captured image Can be confirmed. Further, it is determined whether or not communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible. If communication is possible, image data is downloaded from the external device, and if communication is impossible, reduced image data is downloaded. Can be read and displayed, the user does not always have to check the communication state, and convenience is improved.

Although the present invention has been described with the embodiments so far, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and other embodiments, additions, changes, deletions, and the like can be conceived by those skilled in the art. Any of the embodiments is included in the scope of the present invention as long as the operations and effects of the present invention are exhibited.

The figure which showed the system configuration | structure when using the imaging device of this embodiment. The figure which showed the physical structure of the imaging device of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. The flowchart figure which showed the process performed with the imaging device of this embodiment. The flowchart figure which illustrated the process performed at the time of imaging | photography mode. The flowchart figure which illustrated the process performed at the time of reproduction | regeneration mode.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 200, 300 ... Imaging device, 110 ... Personal computer, 120 ... Network, 130, 360 ... Server, 210 ... Processor, 220, 320 ... Imaging part, 230 ... ROM, 240 ... RAM, 250 ... SRAM, 260 ... Communication Interface, 270 ... User interface, 310 ... Display unit, 330 ... Storage unit, 340 ... Communication unit, 350 ... Control unit

Claims (10)

A storage unit that stores image data; a communication unit that communicates with an external device; and the storage unit that transmits the image data to be stored in the external device and receives access information to the image data from the external device. An image data replacement means for storing the access information in place of the image data and erasing the image data stored in the storage unit. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus generates reduced image data obtained by reducing an image size from the image data, and stores the reduced image data in the storage unit in association with the access information. In addition, the imaging apparatus includes a display unit that displays an image, and the imaging apparatus determines whether or not communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible, and if the communication is possible, the access information is included in the access information. The image data is downloaded from the external device based on the image data, and when the communication is impossible, the reduced image data stored in the storage unit is read and displayed on the display unit. Imaging device. The imaging apparatus determines whether or not communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible every predetermined time, and stores the image data in the storage unit until it is determined that the communication is possible. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data is transmitted in response to determining that the communication is possible. An imaging system comprising: the imaging apparatus according to claim 1; and an external device that stores the image data transmitted from the imaging apparatus. An image data processing method for processing image data obtained by imaging a subject, the step of starting communication with an external device by a communication unit, the step of storing the image data in a storage unit, and the communication unit Transmitting the image data and storing the image data in the external device, receiving access information to the image data from the external device, and storing the access information in the storage unit instead of the image data, And erasing the image data stored in the storage unit. The image data processing method according to claim 6, further comprising: generating reduced image data with a reduced image size from the image data, and storing the reduced image data in the storage unit in association with the access information. Determining whether communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible; and downloading the image data from the external device based on the access information when the communication is possible, and displaying 8. The image data according to claim 7, comprising: displaying on the display unit; and reading the reduced image data stored in the storage unit when the communication is impossible, and displaying the reduced image data on the display unit. Processing method. Determining whether communication between the external device and the communication unit is possible at predetermined time intervals, and storing the image data in the storage unit until it is determined that the communication is possible And an image data processing method according to claim 6, further comprising: transmitting the image data in response to determining that the communication is possible. An apparatus-executable program for causing an imaging apparatus to execute the image data processing method according to claim 6.

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