Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Investments Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Investments - Schedule of Allowance for Credit Loss Activity (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
Mar. 29, 2020 USD ($)
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Allowance for Credit Loss [Roll Forward]
Balance as of December 31, 2019	$ 0
Increases to the allowance for credit losses	160
Write-offs	0
Foreign exchange rate changes	0
Balance as of March 29, 2020	$ 160

Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Allowance for Credit Loss, Foreign Exchange Rate Adjustment

No definition available.

Name:	cgnx_DebtSecuritiesAvailableforsaleAllowanceforCreditLossForeignExchangeRateAdjustment
Namespace Prefix:	cgnx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of allowance for credit loss on investment in debt security measured at fair value with change in fair value recognized in other comprehensive income (available-for-sale).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 326
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 9
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118955579&loc=SL82922900-210455

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 326
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 9
-Subparagraph (i)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118955579&loc=SL82922900-210455

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 320
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (aaa)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118939692&loc=d3e27161-111563

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 326
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118942338&loc=SL82898722-210454

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtSecuritiesAvailableForSaleAllowanceForCreditLoss
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

A roll forward is a reconciliation of a concept from the beginning of a period to the end of a period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtSecuritiesAvailableForSaleAllowanceForCreditLossRollForward
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of writeoff of allowance for credit loss on investment in debt security measured at fair value with change in fair value recognized in other comprehensive income (available-for-sale).

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtSecuritiesAvailableForSaleAllowanceForCreditLossWriteoff
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of expense (reversal of expense) for expected credit loss on investment in debt security measured at fair value with change in fair value recognized in other comprehensive income (available-for-sale), from change in present value of expected cash flows.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 326
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118942338&loc=SL82922868-210454

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 326
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118955579&loc=SL82922897-210455

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration