Audi has been handing physical controls back to its drivers one piece at a time, mostly on the steering wheel. A new patent application goes after a job that matters more on a cold morning: changing the cabin temperature without opening a menu.

The design comes from a German patent application by Audi, titled in translation as an air outlet system with an integrated climate control display.

Rotary knobs sit on the air vent itself, each with a hollow body, and the air reaches the cabin by passing through the knob.