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Stock-Based Compensation Expense - Stock-Based Compensation Expense (Detail) (USD $)
3 Months Ended
Apr. 05, 2015
Mar. 30, 2014
Dec. 31, 2014
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]      
Stock-based compensation expense $ 6,946,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense $ 4,004,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense  
Tax benefit from compensation expense 2,337,000us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationTaxBenefitFromCompensationExpense 1,306,000us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationTaxBenefitFromCompensationExpense  
Recognized Period Costs Capitalized Amount 0cgnx_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationRecognizedPeriodCostsCapitalizedAmount   0cgnx_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationRecognizedPeriodCostsCapitalizedAmount
Product cost of revenue      
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]      
Stock-based compensation expense 420,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= cgnx_ProductCostOfRevenueMember
285,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= cgnx_ProductCostOfRevenueMember
 
Service cost of revenue      
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]      
Stock-based compensation expense 73,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= cgnx_ServiceCostOfRevenueMember
63,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= cgnx_ServiceCostOfRevenueMember
 
Research, development, and engineering      
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]      
Stock-based compensation expense 1,848,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= us-gaap_ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseMember
1,056,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= us-gaap_ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseMember
 
Selling, general, and administrative      
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]      
Stock-based compensation expense $ 4,605,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= cgnx_SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeMember
$ 2,600,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis
= cgnx_SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeMember