Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013
Entity Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	CGNX
Entity Registrant Name	COGNEX CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000851205
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	43,451,932