Image based learning correction for mitigating thermal ghosting in a digital printer

An image formation apparatus for mitigating thermal ghosting on a printed image with an ink-based image forming device having a rotatable imaging member with a reimageable surface in an environment having an ambient temperature, comprising:

• a controller;
• a temperature sensor adjacent the reimageable surface;
• and
• a storage device coupled to the controller, the storage device having instructions operative on the controller to
• a) measure temperatures of the reimageable surface with the temperature sensor adjacent the reimageable surface after an imaging of a prior image on the reimageable surface, the temperatures being affected by stress induced by the imaging;
• b) align information of a current image with the temperature map of the reimageable surface where the current image will be rendered, the information including a pixel-wise gray level of the current image, the temperature map associated with the measured temperatures by the temperature sensor;
• c) determine a corrected current image including a gray level modification of the current image based on the pixel-wise gray level of the current image and the aligned temperature map to decrease marking material density at reimageable surface discrete coordinates that are warmer than the background area and prevent ghosting of the prior image on a printing of the current image;
• and
• d) instruct the ink-based image forming device to render the corrected current image on the reimageable surface for a printing by the ink-based image forming device, the printing of the rendered corrected current image appearing not as the corrected current image, but as the current image.

A method for mitigating thermal ghosting on a printed image with an ink-based image forming device having a rotatable imaging member with a reimageable surface in an environment having an ambient temperature, the method comprising:

• a) creating a temperature map of the reimageable surface based on measured temperature increases above a reference temperature for a plurality of reimageable surface discrete coordinates on the reimageable surface, the reference temperature associated with a temperature setpoint of a central drum chilling system, the temperature increases for the plurality of reimageable surface discrete coordinates resulting from imaging of prior images on the reimageable surface;
• b) aligning information of a current image with the temperature map of the reimageable surface where the current image will be rendered, the information including a pixel-wise gray level of the current image;
• c) determining a corrected current image including a gray level modification of the current image based on the pixel-wise gray level of the current image and the aligned temperature map to decrease marking material density at reimageable surface discrete coordinates that are warmer than the background area and prevent ghosting of the prior images on a printing of the current image;
• and
• d) rendering the corrected current image on the reimageable surface for a printing by the ink-based image forming device, the printing of the rendered corrected current image appearing not as the corrected current image, but as the current image.