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Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) | 3 Months Ended |
--- | --- | ---
Apr. 05, 2015 | Mar. 30, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2014
Tax Credit Carryforward [Line Items] |  |  |
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Increase/Decrease Resulting from Prior Period Tax Positions | $ 364,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions |  |
Effective Income Tax Rate Continuing Operations | 19.00%cgnx_Cgnx_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperationsPriorToDiscreteTaxEvent |  |
Provision for effective tax rate | 18.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations | 19.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations |
Increase (decrease) in liabilities, net of deferred tax benefit, for uncertain tax positions | 211,000 cgnx_IncreaseDecreaseInLiabilityNetOfDeferredTaxBenefitForUncertainTaxPositions |  |
APIC portion of Decrease In Liability Net Of Deferred Tax Benefit For Uncertain Tax Positions | 48,000 cgnx_APICportionofDecreaseInLiabilityNetOfDeferredTaxBenefitForUncertainTaxPositions |  |
tax expense portion of Decrease in Liability Net of Deferred Tax Benefit for Uncertain Tax Positions | 163,000 cgnx_TaxexpenseportionofDecreaseinLiabilityNetofDeferredTaxBenefitforUncertainTaxPositions |  |
Increase (decrease) in interest and penalties | 15,000 cgnx_IncreaseDecreaseInterestAndPenalties |  |
Unrecognized tax benefit shown as a reduction to noncurrent deferred tax assets |  |  | 1,028,000 cgnx_Unrecognizedtaxbenefitshownasareductiontononcurrentdeferredtaxassets
Liability For Uncertain Tax Positions | 5,400,000 cgnx_LiabilityForUncertainTaxPositions |  |
Reserve for income taxes, total | 4,372,000 us-gaap_LiabilityForUncertainTaxPositionsNoncurrent |  | 4,623,000 us-gaap_LiabilityForUncertainTaxPositionsNoncurrent
Interest and penalties, gross | 494,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued |  |
Reserve for income taxes to be recorded in additional paid in capital | 616,000 cgnx_ReserveForIncomeTaxesToBeRecordedInAdditionalPaidInCapital |  |
Minimum decrease in income tax expense due to release in reserves | 550,000 cgnx_MinimumDecreaseInIncomeTaxExpenseDueToReleaseInReserves |  |
Maximum decrease in income tax expense due to release in reserves | $ 650,000 cgnx_MaximumDecreaseInIncomeTaxExpenseDueToReleaseInReserves |  |
Tax years open to examination by Internal Revenue Service | 2012 through 2014 |  |
Tax years open to examination by various taxing authorities | 2011 through 2014 |  |
Tax years open to examination by various taxing authorities for other entities | 2010 through 2014 |  |

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