以下是Grumdrig解决方案的一个更完整的说明。这个版本还返回最近的点本身。

#include "stdio.h"
#include "math.h"

class Vec2
{
public:
    float _x;
    float _y;

    Vec2()
    {
        _x = 0;
        _y = 0;
    }

    Vec2( const float x, const float y )
    {
        _x = x;
        _y = y;
    }

    Vec2 operator+( const Vec2 &v ) const
    {
        return Vec2( this->_x + v._x, this->_y + v._y );
    }

    Vec2 operator-( const Vec2 &v ) const
    {
        return Vec2( this->_x - v._x, this->_y - v._y );
    }

    Vec2 operator*( const float f ) const
    {
        return Vec2( this->_x * f, this->_y * f );
    }

    float DistanceToSquared( const Vec2 p ) const
    {
        const float dX = p._x - this->_x;
        const float dY = p._y - this->_y;

        return dX * dX + dY * dY;
    }

    float DistanceTo( const Vec2 p ) const
    {
        return sqrt( this->DistanceToSquared( p ) );
    }

    float DotProduct( const Vec2 p ) const
    {
        return this->_x * p._x + this->_y * p._y;
    }
};

// return minimum distance between line segment vw and point p, and the closest point on the line segment, q
float DistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( const Vec2 v, const Vec2 w, const Vec2 p, Vec2 * const q )
{
    const float distSq = v.DistanceToSquared( w ); // i.e. |w-v|^2 ... avoid a sqrt
    if ( distSq == 0.0 )
    {
        // v == w case
        (*q) = v;

        return v.DistanceTo( p );
    }

    // consider the line extending the segment, parameterized as v + t (w - v)
    // we find projection of point p onto the line
    // it falls where t = [(p-v) . (w-v)] / |w-v|^2

    const float t = ( p - v ).DotProduct( w - v ) / distSq;
    if ( t < 0.0 )
    {
        // beyond the v end of the segment
        (*q) = v;

        return v.DistanceTo( p );
    }
    else if ( t > 1.0 )
    {
        // beyond the w end of the segment
        (*q) = w;

        return w.DistanceTo( p );
    }

    // projection falls on the segment
    const Vec2 projection = v + ( ( w - v ) * t );

    (*q) = projection;

    return p.DistanceTo( projection );
}

float DistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( float segmentX1, float segmentY1, float segmentX2, float segmentY2, float pX, float pY, float *qX, float *qY )
{
    Vec2 q;

    float distance = DistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( Vec2( segmentX1, segmentY1 ), Vec2( segmentX2, segmentY2 ), Vec2( pX, pY ), &q );

    (*qX) = q._x;
    (*qY) = q._y;

    return distance;
}

void TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( float segmentX1, float segmentY1, float segmentX2, float segmentY2, float pX, float pY )
{
    float qX;
    float qY;
    float d = DistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( segmentX1, segmentY1, segmentX2, segmentY2, pX, pY, &qX, &qY );
    printf( "line segment = ( ( %f, %f ), ( %f, %f ) ), p = ( %f, %f ), distance = %f, q = ( %f, %f )\n",
            segmentX1, segmentY1, segmentX2, segmentY2, pX, pY, d, qX, qY );
}

void TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint()
{
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 20, 10, 5, 4 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 20, 10, 30, 15 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 20, 10, -30, 15 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 10, 0, 5, 1 );
    TestDistanceFromLineSegmentToPoint( 0, 0, 0, 10, 1, 5 );
}

GLSL版:

// line (a -> b ) point p[enter image description here][1]
float distanceToLine(vec2 a, vec2 b, vec2 p) {
    float aside = dot((p - a),(b - a));
    if(aside< 0.0) return length(p-a);
    float bside = dot((p - b),(a - b));
    if(bside< 0.0) return length(p-b);
    vec2 pointOnLine = (bside*a + aside*b)/pow(length(a-b),2.0);
    return length(p - pointOnLine);
}

对于懒人来说，以下是我在Objective-C语言中移植@Grumdrig的解决方案:

CGFloat sqr(CGFloat x) { return x*x; }
CGFloat dist2(CGPoint v, CGPoint w) { return sqr(v.x - w.x) + sqr(v.y - w.y); }
CGFloat distanceToSegmentSquared(CGPoint p, CGPoint v, CGPoint w)
{
    CGFloat l2 = dist2(v, w);
    if (l2 == 0.0f) return dist2(p, v);

    CGFloat t = ((p.x - v.x) * (w.x - v.x) + (p.y - v.y) * (w.y - v.y)) / l2;
    if (t < 0.0f) return dist2(p, v);
    if (t > 1.0f) return dist2(p, w);
    return dist2(p, CGPointMake(v.x + t * (w.x - v.x), v.y + t * (w.y - v.y)));
}
CGFloat distanceToSegment(CGPoint point, CGPoint segmentPointV, CGPoint segmentPointW)
{
    return sqrtf(distanceToSegmentSquared(point, segmentPointV, segmentPointW));
}

Matlab代码，内置“自检”，如果他们调用函数没有参数:

function r = distPointToLineSegment( xy0, xy1, xyP )
% r = distPointToLineSegment( xy0, xy1, xyP )

if( nargin < 3 )
    selfTest();
    r=0;
else
    vx = xy0(1)-xyP(1);
    vy = xy0(2)-xyP(2);
    ux = xy1(1)-xy0(1);
    uy = xy1(2)-xy0(2);
    lenSqr= (ux*ux+uy*uy);
    detP= -vx*ux + -vy*uy;

    if( detP < 0 )
        r = norm(xy0-xyP,2);
    elseif( detP > lenSqr )
        r = norm(xy1-xyP,2);
    else
        r = abs(ux*vy-uy*vx)/sqrt(lenSqr);
    end
end


    function selfTest()
        %#ok<*NASGU>
        disp(['invalid args, distPointToLineSegment running (recursive)  self-test...']);

        ptA = [1;1]; ptB = [-1;-1];
        ptC = [1/2;1/2];  % on the line
        ptD = [-2;-1.5];  % too far from line segment
        ptE = [1/2;0];    % should be same as perpendicular distance to line
        ptF = [1.5;1.5];      % along the A-B but outside of the segment

        distCtoAB = distPointToLineSegment(ptA,ptB,ptC)
        distDtoAB = distPointToLineSegment(ptA,ptB,ptD)
        distEtoAB = distPointToLineSegment(ptA,ptB,ptE)
        distFtoAB = distPointToLineSegment(ptA,ptB,ptF)
        figure(1); clf;
        circle = @(x, y, r, c) rectangle('Position', [x-r, y-r, 2*r, 2*r], ...
            'Curvature', [1 1], 'EdgeColor', c);
        plot([ptA(1) ptB(1)],[ptA(2) ptB(2)],'r-x'); hold on;
        plot(ptC(1),ptC(2),'b+'); circle(ptC(1),ptC(2), 0.5e-1, 'b');
        plot(ptD(1),ptD(2),'g+'); circle(ptD(1),ptD(2), distDtoAB, 'g');
        plot(ptE(1),ptE(2),'k+'); circle(ptE(1),ptE(2), distEtoAB, 'k');
        plot(ptF(1),ptF(2),'m+'); circle(ptF(1),ptF(2), distFtoAB, 'm');
        hold off;
        axis([-3 3 -3 3]); axis equal;
    end

end

in R

     #distance beetween segment ab and point c in 2D space
getDistance_ort_2 <- function(a, b, c){
  #go to complex numbers
  A<-c(a[1]+1i*a[2],b[1]+1i*b[2])
  q=c[1]+1i*c[2]
  
  #function to get coefficients of line (ab)
  getAlphaBeta <- function(A)
  { a<-Re(A[2])-Re(A[1])
    b<-Im(A[2])-Im(A[1])
    ab<-as.numeric()
    ab[1] <- -Re(A[1])*b/a+Im(A[1])
    ab[2] <-b/a
    if(Im(A[1])==Im(A[2])) ab<- c(Im(A[1]),0)
    if(Re(A[1])==Re(A[2])) ab <- NA
    return(ab)
  }
  
  #function to get coefficients of line ortogonal to line (ab) which goes through point q
  getAlphaBeta_ort<-function(A,q)
  { ab <- getAlphaBeta(A) 
  coef<-c(Re(q)/ab[2]+Im(q),-1/ab[2])
  if(Re(A[1])==Re(A[2])) coef<-c(Im(q),0)
  return(coef)
  }
  
  #function to get coordinates of interception point 
  #between line (ab) and its ortogonal which goes through point q
  getIntersection_ort <- function(A, q){
    A.ab <- getAlphaBeta(A)
    q.ab <- getAlphaBeta_ort(A,q)
    if (!is.na(A.ab[1])&A.ab[2]==0) {
      x<-Re(q)
      y<-Im(A[1])}
    if (is.na(A.ab[1])) {
      x<-Re(A[1])
      y<-Im(q)
    } 
    if (!is.na(A.ab[1])&A.ab[2]!=0) {
      x <- (q.ab[1] - A.ab[1])/(A.ab[2] - q.ab[2])
      y <- q.ab[1] + q.ab[2]*x}
    xy <- x + 1i*y  
    return(xy)
  }
  
  intersect<-getIntersection_ort(A,q)
  if ((Mod(A[1]-intersect)+Mod(A[2]-intersect))>Mod(A[1]-A[2])) {dist<-min(Mod(A[1]-q),Mod(A[2]-q))
  } else dist<-Mod(q-intersect)
  return(dist)
}



 

这里没有看到Java实现，所以我将Javascript函数从接受的答案转换为Java代码:

static double sqr(double x) {
    return x * x;
}
static double dist2(DoublePoint v, DoublePoint w) {
    return sqr(v.x - w.x) + sqr(v.y - w.y);
}
static double distToSegmentSquared(DoublePoint p, DoublePoint v, DoublePoint w) {
    double l2 = dist2(v, w);
    if (l2 == 0) return dist2(p, v);
    double t = ((p.x - v.x) * (w.x - v.x) + (p.y - v.y) * (w.y - v.y)) / l2;
    if (t < 0) return dist2(p, v);
    if (t > 1) return dist2(p, w);
    return dist2(p, new DoublePoint(
            v.x + t * (w.x - v.x),
            v.y + t * (w.y - v.y)
    ));
}
static double distToSegment(DoublePoint p, DoublePoint v, DoublePoint w) {
    return Math.sqrt(distToSegmentSquared(p, v, w));
}
static class DoublePoint {
    public double x;
    public double y;

    public DoublePoint(double x, double y) {
        this.x = x;
        this.y = y;
    }
}