[PATCH 2/2] i2c: mux: Add NXP PCA9641 I2C bus master arbiter driver

From: Shiv Prakash Gupta

Date: Tue Sep 08 2026 - 08:48:42 EST


Add a driver for the NXP PCA9641 2-to-1 I2C bus master arbiter.

The PCA9641 allows two upstream I2C masters to share a single downstream
slave bus using a lock/grant protocol: a master asserts LOCK_REQ, waits
for LOCK_GRANT, sets BUS_CONNECT to open the switch, performs transactions,
then clears LOCK_REQ to release the bus.

The driver supports interrupt-assisted arbitration when INT0/INT1 is
connected to a GPIO. A threaded IRQ handler signals a completion variable
that select_chan() waits on, avoiding busy-polling. Polling mode is used
when no interrupt is configured.

Signed-off-by: Shiv Prakash Gupta <shivprakash.gupta@xxxxxxx>
---
MAINTAINERS | 7 +
drivers/i2c/muxes/Kconfig | 15 ++
drivers/i2c/muxes/Makefile | 1 +
drivers/i2c/muxes/i2c-mux-pca9641.c | 395 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
4 files changed, 418 insertions(+)
create mode 100644 drivers/i2c/muxes/i2c-mux-pca9641.c

diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index 6215fcb07770..2b02090edc9e 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -12250,6 +12250,13 @@ S: Maintained
F: Documentation/i2c/busses/i2c-nvidia-gpu.rst
F: drivers/i2c/busses/i2c-nvidia-gpu.c

+NXP PCA9641 I2C BUS MASTER ARBITER DRIVER
+M: Shiv Prakash Gupta <shivprakash.gupta@xxxxxxx>
+L: linux-i2c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
+S: Maintained
+F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/i2c/nxp,pca9641.yaml
+F: drivers/i2c/muxes/i2c-mux-pca9641.c
+
I2C MUXES
M: Peter Rosin <peda@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
L: linux-i2c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
diff --git a/drivers/i2c/muxes/Kconfig b/drivers/i2c/muxes/Kconfig
index 6d2f66810cdc..0caff9592466 100644
--- a/drivers/i2c/muxes/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/i2c/muxes/Kconfig
@@ -64,6 +64,21 @@ config I2C_MUX_PCA9541
This driver can also be built as a module. If so, the module
will be called i2c-mux-pca9541.

+config I2C_MUX_PCA9641
+ tristate "NXP PCA9641 I2C Master Arbiter"
+ help
+ If you say yes here you get support for the NXP PCA9641
+ 2-to-1 I2C bus master arbiter.
+
+ The PCA9641 arbitrates between two upstream I2C masters competing
+ for a single downstream slave bus. It implements a lock/grant
+ ownership model with an optional reserve time window, hardware
+ interrupt outputs (INT0/INT1), and a 16-bit shared mailbox for
+ inter-master communication.
+
+ This driver can also be built as a module. If so, the module
+ will be called i2c-mux-pca9641.
+
config I2C_MUX_PCA954x
tristate "NXP PCA954x/PCA984x and Maxim MAX735x/MAX736x I2C Mux/switches"
depends on GPIOLIB || COMPILE_TEST
diff --git a/drivers/i2c/muxes/Makefile b/drivers/i2c/muxes/Makefile
index 4b24f49515a7..a50df4013224 100644
--- a/drivers/i2c/muxes/Makefile
+++ b/drivers/i2c/muxes/Makefile
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ obj-$(CONFIG_I2C_MUX_LTC4306) += i2c-mux-ltc4306.o
obj-$(CONFIG_I2C_MUX_MLXCPLD) += i2c-mux-mlxcpld.o
obj-$(CONFIG_I2C_MUX_MULE) += i2c-mux-mule.o
obj-$(CONFIG_I2C_MUX_PCA9541) += i2c-mux-pca9541.o
+obj-$(CONFIG_I2C_MUX_PCA9641) += i2c-mux-pca9641.o
obj-$(CONFIG_I2C_MUX_PCA954x) += i2c-mux-pca954x.o
obj-$(CONFIG_I2C_MUX_PINCTRL) += i2c-mux-pinctrl.o
obj-$(CONFIG_I2C_MUX_REG) += i2c-mux-reg.o
diff --git a/drivers/i2c/muxes/i2c-mux-pca9641.c b/drivers/i2c/muxes/i2c-mux-pca9641.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c12aa88dcf56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drivers/i2c/muxes/i2c-mux-pca9641.c
@@ -0,0 +1,395 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+/*
+ * I2C multiplexer driver for PCA9641 2-to-1 I2C bus master arbiter
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2026 Shiv Prakash Gupta <shivprakash.gupta@xxxxxxx>
+ *
+ * Based on i2c-mux-pca9541.c by Guenter Roeck <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
+ *
+ * Datasheet: https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/PCA9641.pdf
+ */
+
+#include <linux/bitops.h>
+#include <linux/completion.h>
+#include <linux/delay.h>
+#include <linux/device.h>
+#include <linux/i2c.h>
+#include <linux/i2c-mux.h>
+#include <linux/interrupt.h>
+#include <linux/jiffies.h>
+#include <linux/module.h>
+#include <linux/slab.h>
+
+/* Register addresses, selected via the 3 LSBs of the command code byte */
+#define PCA9641_ID 0x00 /* Device ID register (R only, value 0x38) */
+#define PCA9641_CONTR 0x01 /* Control register (R/W) */
+#define PCA9641_STATUS 0x02 /* Status register (R/W) */
+#define PCA9641_RT 0x03 /* Reserve Time register (R/W) */
+#define PCA9641_INT_STATUS 0x04 /* Interrupt Status register (R/W, sticky) */
+#define PCA9641_INT_MSK 0x05 /* Interrupt Mask register (R/W) */
+#define PCA9641_MB_LO 0x06 /* Mailbox low byte (R/W) */
+#define PCA9641_MB_HI 0x07 /* Mailbox high byte (R/W) */
+
+/* CONTR register (0x01) bit definitions */
+#define PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_REQ BIT(0) /* Request downstream bus ownership */
+#define PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_GRANT BIT(1) /* Downstream bus granted (R only) */
+#define PCA9641_CTL_BUS_CONNECT BIT(2) /* Connect master to downstream bus */
+#define PCA9641_CTL_BUS_INIT BIT(3) /* Trigger bus init/recovery (9 clocks) */
+#define PCA9641_CTL_SMBUS_SWRST BIT(4) /* Assert SCL LOW 35 ms after soft reset */
+#define PCA9641_CTL_IDLE_TIMER_DIS BIT(5) /* Disconnect after 100 ms bus idle */
+#define PCA9641_CTL_SMBUS_DIS BIT(6) /* Disconnect on SMBus timeout detection */
+#define PCA9641_CTL_PRIORITY BIT(7) /* Tie-break priority when both request */
+
+/* STATUS register (0x02) bit definitions (datasheet Section 8.3) */
+#define PCA9641_STA_OTHER_LOCK BIT(0) /* Other master currently holds the lock (R only) */
+#define PCA9641_STA_SCL_IO BIT(6) /* Manual SCL I/O (LOCK_GRANT=1, BUS_CONNECT=0) */
+#define PCA9641_STA_SDA_IO BIT(7) /* Manual SDA I/O (LOCK_GRANT=1, BUS_CONNECT=0) */
+
+/* INT_STATUS register (0x04) bit definitions (sticky, clear by writing 1) */
+#define PCA9641_INTS_INT_IN BIT(0) /* Interrupt received on INT_IN pin */
+#define PCA9641_INTS_BUS_LOST BIT(1) /* This master involuntarily lost the bus */
+#define PCA9641_INTS_LOCK_GRANT BIT(2) /* This master was granted the bus */
+#define PCA9641_INTS_TEST_INT BIT(3) /* Self-test interrupt triggered */
+#define PCA9641_INTS_MBOX_EMPTY BIT(4) /* Sent mailbox data was read by other master */
+#define PCA9641_INTS_MBOX_FULL BIT(5) /* New mailbox data received from other master */
+#define PCA9641_INTS_BUS_HUNG BIT(6) /* Bus hung condition detected */
+
+/* INT_MSK register (0x05) bit definitions (1 = masked/disabled, POR = 0x7F) */
+#define PCA9641_MSK_INT_IN BIT(0)
+#define PCA9641_MSK_BUS_LOST BIT(1)
+#define PCA9641_MSK_LOCK_GRANT BIT(2)
+#define PCA9641_MSK_TEST_INT BIT(3)
+#define PCA9641_MSK_MBOX_EMPTY BIT(4)
+#define PCA9641_MSK_MBOX_FULL BIT(5)
+#define PCA9641_MSK_BUS_HUNG BIT(6)
+
+/* POR value of INT_MSK: all interrupt sources masked */
+#define PCA9641_INT_MSK_ALL 0x7Fu
+
+/*
+ * Interrupt mask value that enables only LOCK_GRANT and BUS_LOST.
+ * All other sources remain masked (bit = 1 means masked).
+ */
+#define PCA9641_INT_MSK_ARB \
+ (PCA9641_INT_MSK_ALL & ~(PCA9641_MSK_LOCK_GRANT | PCA9641_MSK_BUS_LOST))
+
+/* Value in ID register that uniquely identifies PCA9641 (vs. PCA9541) */
+#define PCA9641_ID_MAGIC 0x38u
+
+/* Arbitration retry delays (microseconds) */
+#define PCA9641_DELAY_SHORT 50u
+#define PCA9641_DELAY_LONG 1000u
+
+/**
+ * struct pca9641 - per-device driver state
+ * @client: I2C client for the arbiter device
+ * @select_timeout: Current polling retry delay in microseconds
+ * @irq: Linux IRQ number for INT0/INT1 GPIO, or -1 if not used
+ * @lock_grant_comp: Completion signaled from the IRQ handler on LOCK_GRANT
+ */
+struct pca9641 {
+ struct i2c_client *client;
+ unsigned long select_timeout;
+ int irq;
+ struct completion lock_grant_comp;
+};
+
+static const struct i2c_device_id pca9641_id[] = {
+ { "pca9641" },
+ {}
+};
+MODULE_DEVICE_TABLE(i2c, pca9641_id);
+
+static const struct of_device_id pca9641_of_match[] = {
+ { .compatible = "nxp,pca9641" },
+ {}
+};
+MODULE_DEVICE_TABLE(of, pca9641_of_match);
+
+/*
+ * Write to chip register. Don't use i2c_transfer()/i2c_smbus_xfer()
+ * as they will try to lock the adapter a second time.
+ */
+static int pca9641_reg_write(struct i2c_client *client, u8 reg, u8 val)
+{
+ union i2c_smbus_data data = { .byte = val };
+
+ return __i2c_smbus_xfer(client->adapter, client->addr, client->flags,
+ I2C_SMBUS_WRITE, reg,
+ I2C_SMBUS_BYTE_DATA, &data);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Read from chip register. Don't use i2c_transfer()/i2c_smbus_xfer()
+ * as they will try to lock adapter a second time.
+ */
+static int pca9641_reg_read(struct i2c_client *client, u8 reg)
+{
+ union i2c_smbus_data data;
+ int ret;
+
+ ret = __i2c_smbus_xfer(client->adapter, client->addr, client->flags,
+ I2C_SMBUS_READ, reg,
+ I2C_SMBUS_BYTE_DATA, &data);
+
+ return ret ? ret : (int)data.byte;
+}
+
+/* Release bus ownership. */
+static void pca9641_release_bus(struct i2c_client *client)
+{
+ pca9641_reg_write(client, PCA9641_CONTR, 0x00);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Threaded IRQ handler for INT0/INT1. Signals the completion waited on by
+ * pca9641_select_chan(). No I2C access here to avoid deadlock on the adapter
+ * mutex held by select_chan().
+ */
+static irqreturn_t pca9641_irq_handler(int irq, void *dev_id)
+{
+ struct pca9641 *data = dev_id;
+
+ complete(&data->lock_grant_comp);
+ return IRQ_HANDLED;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Arbitration management. Asserts LOCK_REQ and checks LOCK_GRANT to acquire
+ * the downstream bus. Returns 1 when acquired, 0 to retry, <0 on error.
+ */
+static int pca9641_arbitrate(struct i2c_client *client)
+{
+ struct i2c_mux_core *muxc = i2c_get_clientdata(client);
+ struct pca9641 *data = i2c_mux_priv(muxc);
+ int ctrl, status, ret;
+
+ ctrl = pca9641_reg_read(client, PCA9641_CONTR);
+ if (ctrl < 0)
+ return ctrl;
+
+ if (ctrl & PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_GRANT) {
+ if (!(ctrl & PCA9641_CTL_BUS_CONNECT)) {
+ ret = pca9641_reg_write(client, PCA9641_CONTR,
+ (u8)(ctrl | PCA9641_CTL_BUS_CONNECT));
+ if (ret < 0)
+ return ret;
+ }
+ return 1;
+ }
+
+ if (!(ctrl & PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_REQ)) {
+ ret = pca9641_reg_write(client, PCA9641_CONTR,
+ (u8)(ctrl | PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_REQ));
+ if (ret < 0)
+ return ret;
+ data->select_timeout = PCA9641_DELAY_SHORT;
+ return 0;
+ }
+
+ status = pca9641_reg_read(client, PCA9641_STATUS);
+ if (status < 0)
+ return status;
+
+ data->select_timeout = (status & PCA9641_STA_OTHER_LOCK) ?
+ PCA9641_DELAY_LONG : PCA9641_DELAY_SHORT;
+
+ return 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Acquire the downstream bus before a transaction. Uses interrupt mode
+ * if IRQ is available, polling otherwise.
+ */
+static int pca9641_select_chan(struct i2c_mux_core *muxc, u32 chan)
+{
+ struct pca9641 *data = i2c_mux_priv(muxc);
+ struct i2c_client *client = data->client;
+ unsigned long timeout = jiffies + 2 * client->adapter->timeout;
+ int ctrl, ret;
+
+ if (data->irq > 0) {
+ reinit_completion(&data->lock_grant_comp);
+
+ ctrl = pca9641_reg_read(client, PCA9641_CONTR);
+ if (ctrl < 0)
+ return ctrl;
+
+ if (ctrl & PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_GRANT)
+ goto set_bus_connect;
+
+ ret = pca9641_reg_write(client, PCA9641_CONTR,
+ (u8)((ctrl & ~PCA9641_CTL_BUS_CONNECT) |
+ PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_REQ));
+ if (ret < 0)
+ return ret;
+
+ if (!wait_for_completion_timeout(&data->lock_grant_comp,
+ client->adapter->timeout)) {
+ ctrl = pca9641_reg_read(client, PCA9641_CONTR);
+ if (ctrl < 0)
+ return ctrl;
+ if (!(ctrl & PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_GRANT)) {
+ dev_warn(&client->dev,
+ "Timed out waiting for bus grant\n");
+ return -ETIMEDOUT;
+ }
+ goto set_bus_connect;
+ }
+
+ ctrl = pca9641_reg_read(client, PCA9641_CONTR);
+ if (ctrl < 0)
+ return ctrl;
+
+ if (!(ctrl & PCA9641_CTL_LOCK_GRANT)) {
+ dev_warn(&client->dev,
+ "Interrupt fired but LOCK_GRANT not set\n");
+ return -ETIMEDOUT;
+ }
+
+set_bus_connect:
+ (void)pca9641_reg_write(client, PCA9641_INT_STATUS,
+ PCA9641_INTS_LOCK_GRANT | PCA9641_INTS_BUS_LOST);
+
+ if (!(ctrl & PCA9641_CTL_BUS_CONNECT)) {
+ ret = pca9641_reg_write(client, PCA9641_CONTR,
+ (u8)(ctrl | PCA9641_CTL_BUS_CONNECT));
+ if (ret < 0)
+ return ret;
+ }
+ return 0;
+ }
+
+ do {
+ ret = pca9641_arbitrate(client);
+ if (ret)
+ return ret < 0 ? ret : 0;
+
+ if (data->select_timeout <= PCA9641_DELAY_SHORT)
+ udelay(data->select_timeout);
+ else
+ msleep(data->select_timeout / 1000);
+ } while (time_is_after_eq_jiffies(timeout));
+
+ dev_warn(&client->dev, "Failed to acquire I2C bus, timed out\n");
+ return -ETIMEDOUT;
+}
+
+/* Release the downstream bus after a transaction completes. */
+static int pca9641_release_chan(struct i2c_mux_core *muxc, u32 chan)
+{
+ struct pca9641 *data = i2c_mux_priv(muxc);
+
+ pca9641_release_bus(data->client);
+ return 0;
+}
+
+static int pca9641_probe(struct i2c_client *client)
+{
+ struct i2c_adapter *adap = client->adapter;
+ struct i2c_mux_core *muxc;
+ struct pca9641 *data;
+ int id, ret;
+
+ if (!i2c_check_functionality(adap, I2C_FUNC_SMBUS_BYTE_DATA))
+ return -ENODEV;
+
+ id = i2c_smbus_read_byte_data(client, PCA9641_ID);
+ if (id < 0) {
+ dev_err(&client->dev, "Failed to read device ID: %d\n", id);
+ return id;
+ }
+ if ((u8)id != PCA9641_ID_MAGIC) {
+ dev_err(&client->dev,
+ "Unexpected device ID 0x%02x (expected 0x%02x for PCA9641)\n",
+ (u8)id, PCA9641_ID_MAGIC);
+ return -ENODEV;
+ }
+
+ /* Clear any stale bus ownership from a previous crash. */
+ i2c_lock_bus(adap, I2C_LOCK_SEGMENT);
+ pca9641_release_bus(client);
+ i2c_unlock_bus(adap, I2C_LOCK_SEGMENT);
+
+ muxc = i2c_mux_alloc(adap, &client->dev, 1, sizeof(*data),
+ I2C_MUX_ARBITRATOR,
+ pca9641_select_chan, pca9641_release_chan);
+ if (!muxc)
+ return -ENOMEM;
+
+ data = i2c_mux_priv(muxc);
+ data->client = client;
+ data->irq = -1;
+ init_completion(&data->lock_grant_comp);
+
+ i2c_set_clientdata(client, muxc);
+
+ /* Optional interrupt mode; fall back to polling on failure. */
+ if (client->irq > 0) {
+ ret = i2c_smbus_write_byte_data(client, PCA9641_INT_MSK,
+ PCA9641_INT_MSK_ARB);
+ if (ret < 0) {
+ dev_warn(&client->dev,
+ "Failed to set interrupt mask (%d); using polling\n",
+ ret);
+ goto add_adapter;
+ }
+
+ ret = devm_request_threaded_irq(&client->dev, client->irq,
+ NULL, pca9641_irq_handler,
+ IRQF_ONESHOT | IRQF_SHARED,
+ dev_name(&client->dev), data);
+ if (ret < 0) {
+ dev_warn(&client->dev,
+ "Failed to request IRQ %d (%d); using polling\n",
+ client->irq, ret);
+ i2c_smbus_write_byte_data(client, PCA9641_INT_MSK,
+ PCA9641_INT_MSK_ALL);
+ } else {
+ data->irq = client->irq;
+ dev_dbg(&client->dev,
+ "Interrupt mode enabled on IRQ %d\n",
+ client->irq);
+ }
+ }
+
+add_adapter:
+ ret = i2c_mux_add_adapter(muxc, 0, 0);
+ if (ret)
+ return ret;
+
+ dev_info(&client->dev,
+ "PCA9641 I2C master arbiter registered (I2C bus %s, %s mode)\n",
+ client->name,
+ data->irq > 0 ? "interrupt" : "polling");
+
+ return 0;
+}
+
+static void pca9641_remove(struct i2c_client *client)
+{
+ struct i2c_mux_core *muxc = i2c_get_clientdata(client);
+ struct pca9641 *data = i2c_mux_priv(muxc);
+
+ if (data->irq > 0)
+ (void)i2c_smbus_write_byte_data(client, PCA9641_INT_MSK,
+ PCA9641_INT_MSK_ALL);
+
+ i2c_mux_del_adapters(muxc);
+}
+
+static struct i2c_driver pca9641_driver = {
+ .driver = {
+ .name = "pca9641",
+ .of_match_table = pca9641_of_match,
+ },
+ .probe = pca9641_probe,
+ .remove = pca9641_remove,
+ .id_table = pca9641_id,
+};
+
+module_i2c_driver(pca9641_driver);
+
+MODULE_AUTHOR("Shiv Prakash Gupta <shivprakash.gupta@xxxxxxx>");
+MODULE_DESCRIPTION("PCA9641 2-to-1 I2C bus master arbiter driver");
+MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
--
2.34.1