该算法基于求出指定直线与包含指定点的正交直线的交点，并计算其距离。在线段的情况下，我们必须检查交点是否在线段的点之间，如果不是这样，则最小距离是指定点与线段的一个端点之间的距离。这是一个c#实现。

Double Distance(Point a, Point b)
{
    double xdiff = a.X - b.X, ydiff = a.Y - b.Y;
    return Math.Sqrt((long)xdiff * xdiff + (long)ydiff * ydiff);
}

Boolean IsBetween(double x, double a, double b)
{
    return ((a <= b && x >= a && x <= b) || (a > b && x <= a && x >= b));
}

Double GetDistance(Point pt, Point pt1, Point pt2, out Point intersection)
{
    Double a, x, y, R;

    if (pt1.X != pt2.X) {
        a = (double)(pt2.Y - pt1.Y) / (pt2.X - pt1.X);
        x = (a * (pt.Y - pt1.Y) + a * a * pt1.X + pt.X) / (a * a + 1);
        y = a * x + pt1.Y - a * pt1.X; }
    else { x = pt1.X;  y = pt.Y; }

    if (IsBetween(x, pt1.X, pt2.X) && IsBetween(y, pt1.Y, pt2.Y)) {
        intersection = new Point((int)x, (int)y);
        R = Distance(intersection, pt); }
    else {
        double d1 = Distance(pt, pt1), d2 = Distance(pt, pt2);
        if (d1 < d2) { intersection = pt1; R = d1; }
        else { intersection = pt2; R = d2; }}

    return R;
}

在我自己的问题线程如何计算在C, c# / .NET 2.0或Java的所有情况下一个点和线段之间的最短2D距离?当我找到一个c#的答案时，我被要求把它放在这里:所以它是从http://www.topcoder.com/tc?d1=tutorials&d2=geometry1&module=Static修改的:

//Compute the dot product AB . BC
private double DotProduct(double[] pointA, double[] pointB, double[] pointC)
{
    double[] AB = new double[2];
    double[] BC = new double[2];
    AB[0] = pointB[0] - pointA[0];
    AB[1] = pointB[1] - pointA[1];
    BC[0] = pointC[0] - pointB[0];
    BC[1] = pointC[1] - pointB[1];
    double dot = AB[0] * BC[0] + AB[1] * BC[1];

    return dot;
}

//Compute the cross product AB x AC
private double CrossProduct(double[] pointA, double[] pointB, double[] pointC)
{
    double[] AB = new double[2];
    double[] AC = new double[2];
    AB[0] = pointB[0] - pointA[0];
    AB[1] = pointB[1] - pointA[1];
    AC[0] = pointC[0] - pointA[0];
    AC[1] = pointC[1] - pointA[1];
    double cross = AB[0] * AC[1] - AB[1] * AC[0];

    return cross;
}

//Compute the distance from A to B
double Distance(double[] pointA, double[] pointB)
{
    double d1 = pointA[0] - pointB[0];
    double d2 = pointA[1] - pointB[1];

    return Math.Sqrt(d1 * d1 + d2 * d2);
}

//Compute the distance from AB to C
//if isSegment is true, AB is a segment, not a line.
double LineToPointDistance2D(double[] pointA, double[] pointB, double[] pointC, 
    bool isSegment)
{
    double dist = CrossProduct(pointA, pointB, pointC) / Distance(pointA, pointB);
    if (isSegment)
    {
        double dot1 = DotProduct(pointA, pointB, pointC);
        if (dot1 > 0) 
            return Distance(pointB, pointC);

        double dot2 = DotProduct(pointB, pointA, pointC);
        if (dot2 > 0) 
            return Distance(pointA, pointC);
    }
    return Math.Abs(dist);
} 

我不是要回答问题，而是要问问题，所以我希望我不会因为某些原因而得到数百万张反对票，而是批评。我只是想(并被鼓励)分享其他人的想法，因为这个帖子中的解决方案要么是用一些奇异的语言(Fortran, Mathematica)，要么被某人标记为错误。对我来说唯一有用的(由Grumdrig编写)是用c++编写的，没有人标记它有错误。但是它缺少被调用的方法(dot等)。

这是一个基于向量数学的;这个解决方案也适用于更高的维度，并报告交点(在线段上)。

def dist(x1,y1,x2,y2,px,py):
    a = np.array([[x1,y1]]).T
    b = np.array([[x2,y2]]).T
    x = np.array([[px,py]]).T
    tp = (np.dot(x.T, b) - np.dot(a.T, b)) / np.dot(b.T, b)
    tp = tp[0][0]
    tmp = x - (a + tp*b)
    d = np.sqrt(np.dot(tmp.T,tmp)[0][0])
    return d, a+tp*b

x1,y1=2.,2.
x2,y2=5.,5.
px,py=4.,1.

d, inters = dist(x1,y1, x2,y2, px,py)
print (d)
print (inters)

结果是

2.1213203435596424
[[2.5]
 [2.5]]

这里解释了数学

https://brilliant.org/wiki/distance-between-point-and-line/

对于感兴趣的人，这里是Joshua的Javascript代码到Objective-C的简单转换:

- (double)distanceToPoint:(CGPoint)p fromLineSegmentBetween:(CGPoint)l1 and:(CGPoint)l2
{
    double A = p.x - l1.x;
    double B = p.y - l1.y;
    double C = l2.x - l1.x;
    double D = l2.y - l1.y;

    double dot = A * C + B * D;
    double len_sq = C * C + D * D;
    double param = dot / len_sq;

    double xx, yy;

    if (param < 0 || (l1.x == l2.x && l1.y == l2.y)) {
        xx = l1.x;
        yy = l1.y;
    }
    else if (param > 1) {
        xx = l2.x;
        yy = l2.y;
    }
    else {
        xx = l1.x + param * C;
        yy = l1.y + param * D;
    }

    double dx = p.x - xx;
    double dy = p.y - yy;

    return sqrtf(dx * dx + dy * dy);
}

我需要这个解决方案与MKMapPoint一起工作，所以我将分享它，以防其他人需要它。只是一些小的改变，这将返回米为单位的距离:

- (double)distanceToPoint:(MKMapPoint)p fromLineSegmentBetween:(MKMapPoint)l1 and:(MKMapPoint)l2
{
    double A = p.x - l1.x;
    double B = p.y - l1.y;
    double C = l2.x - l1.x;
    double D = l2.y - l1.y;

    double dot = A * C + B * D;
    double len_sq = C * C + D * D;
    double param = dot / len_sq;

    double xx, yy;

    if (param < 0 || (l1.x == l2.x && l1.y == l2.y)) {
        xx = l1.x;
        yy = l1.y;
    }
    else if (param > 1) {
        xx = l2.x;
        yy = l2.y;
    }
    else {
        xx = l1.x + param * C;
        yy = l1.y + param * D;
    }

    return MKMetersBetweenMapPoints(p, MKMapPointMake(xx, yy));
}

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 );
}

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;
    }
}