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Segment and Geographic Information - Additional Information (Detail) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012 Segment | Dec. 31, 2011 | Dec. 31, 2010
Segment Information [Line Items] |  |  |
Number of reportable segments | 2 |  |
Minimum percentage of revenue accountability | 10.00% | 10.00% | 10.00%

X
- Details
Name: | cgnx_SegmentInformationLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | cgnx_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Percentage of revenue generated from a single external customer that accounts for 10 percent or more of an entity's revenues. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_EntityWideRevenueMajorCustomerPercentage
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Number of segments reported by the entity. A reportable segment is a component of an entity for which there is an accounting requirement to report separate financial information on that component in the entity's financial statements. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_NumberOfReportableSegments
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration